UConn's True March Hero

Braylon Mullins hit the shot that’s been replayed and talked about ad nauseam on TVs and around water coolers across America, the shot that will go down in March Madness lore.

He was great, but the guy who led UConn in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals in the win over Duke deserves more credit than he’s currently getting. That man is Tarris Reed Jr., and without his heroics, UConn wouldn’t have escaped the first weekend of the tournament.

Reed is hitting his offensive peak at the perfect time. So far in the tournament, he’s scored 31 (Furman), 10 (UCLA), 20 (Michigan State) and 26 (Duke). He was 10-16 in the win over the Blue Devils while matching up against two of the top eight defensive players (Cam Boozer and Patrick Ngongba) in the entire country per Evanmiya’s defensive player ratings.

His combination of footwork and strength have turned him into one of the best post technicians in the sport. His offensive skillset gets him to the rim against even the best defenders in the country.

What stood out to me even more than his finishing, though, was his positioning. Much like Mark Cuban, I hate the phrase “just wanted it more” in sports. However, if there ever was a time to use it, it would fitting to tie it to Reed’s relentless aggression and pursuit of getting to his spot on the floor on every possession.

His positioning here takes not only exceptional strength, but also loads of basketball intelligence. Working hard to get to your spot is only half the battle, what you do with it is what really matters. Watch Reed and his ability to score, pass and facilitate the offense from the post. These are the moments and plays that aren’t the flashiest and sometimes get skipped over on highlight tapes, but plays like these won UConn this basketball game.

Defensively, Reed was matched up with Ngongba, Duke’s center. Ngongba averaged more than 10 points per game this season. Reed held him to six points on 2-4 shooting. Reed tacked on four blocks, two steals and nine rebounds. His interior defense was tremendous all season; he was graded as the best defender in the Big East and one of the ten best in the country.

UConn was able to hold Duke, a team that averaged 82 points per game this season, to 72 in the game and just 28 in the second half. Duke relies heavily on its frontcourt, especially Boozer, to power the offense, and Reed’s presence alone inside deterred that attack, especially in the second half.

If you thought his performance against Duke was impressive, go back and watch Reed’s performance in the first round against fifteen-seed Furman. I feel confident in saying that if Reed did not have a monster game against the Paladins, Dan Hurley’s bunch would have gone home in the opening round. He recorded 31 points (12-16 shooting), 27 rebounds and three assists in that game. Yes, you read that right, 31 and 27 in a college basketball game.

Reed won the 2026 East region Most Outstanding Player award, and if UConn can rattle off two more wins, he will almost certainly win the overall player of the tournament award.

Take no credit away from Mullins; that shot was nothing short of magical. I felt the compulsion to write this because I believe Tarris Reed Jr. has been this team’s heart and soul, and is criminally underrated nationally. He is a relentless worker, a skilled two-way big and deserves to be mentioned amongst UConn’s greats no matter what happens in Indianapolis.