Washington – one of taris reed jrSome of its weaknesses are free throw shooting.
With the season in balance, Yukon The big man came on the line.
Reed scored 20 points, alex karban Added 17, and both made pressure-filled free throws in the final minute to help second-seeded UConn hold on for the third-seeded michigan state 67-63 Friday night in the Sweet 16. Reed, a 59% foul shooter this season, made all four of his attempts in the final minute.
“I feel like I put in the work. People around me were saying, ‘T, trust me. We see you playing the free throw game every day, you work every day and we see you at the free throw line,'” Reed said. “So, I took a deep breath and took my time in line.”
The Huskies (32-5) led 61-60 when Reed hit two foul shots with 44.8 seconds remaining. Then, Jeremy Fears Jr.. Made two for Michigan State with 32.3 remaining.
Karaban was fouled with 22.5 seconds remaining. He made both threes of one to give UConn a three-point lead, and after Michigan State could not get a quick shot, kur teng Missed his 3-point attempt.
A foul was called on the Huskies on the rebound with 4.6 seconds remaining. carson cooper Made the first for Michigan State. He missed the second – it did not appear to be intentional – and Reed hit back. His two free throws effectively sealed the victory.
UConn is headed for a true heavyweight showdown on Sunday NCAA Tournament East Region Finals against the top seed ruler.
Michigan State (27-8) overcame an early 19-point deficit, but on a night the Spartans made only 4 of 16 shots from 3-point range and lost.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said, “Give credit to our guys. We came back and got the win.” “Our goal in the second half was to play better. We were kind of tired.”
The four teams arriving in Washington this week have won a combined 13 national titles, so it was no surprise that both games on Friday were electrifying. duke’s win 80-75 Above st johns It came down to the last few seconds in the opener.
At first it seemed as if it wouldn’t happen in the second game. Malachi Smith, solo ball And jaylin stewart Combined for four 3-pointers during a 15-1 run that put UConn ahead 25-6. The Spartans had to work hard defensively in the final three minutes, but trailed 35–27 at halftime.
Michigan State scored the first seven points of the second, but the Huskies pulled away. After a steal and dunk by Reed left UConn trailing by six, Huskies coach Dan Hurley began waving his arms wildly at the fans behind his bench, encouraging them to get louder.
The Spartans did not waver. A three-point play by Jackson Kohler Putting Michigan State ahead 45–44 with 10:06 to play.
A short scoring drought by the Spartans allowed UConn to take a 56–49 lead, but it held until the end. The Huskies took a 58–57 lead when Karaban, who was decisive all night, made a 3.
“I feel like I put in the work. People around me were saying, ‘T, trust me. We see you playing the free throw game every day, you put in the work every day and we see you at the free throw line.’ So I took a deep breath and took my time in line.”
UConn’s Terris Reed Jr.
“He’s a calming influence to me,” an excited Hurley said before pausing. “I’m waiting for you to laugh. It’s like an associate head coach who is in the locker room, who lives in the apartment, who is in the dining room, who is in the weight room, who is pressuring his teammates to do extra work. It’s like a top assistant who is on your team and is always around your players.”
Stewart, who had been out since late February with a knee injury, returned and played three minutes for UConn, and connected on his only 3-point attempt.
The Huskies’ matchup with Duke could feel like a Final Four game. In fact, they met in the 1999 title game, which UConn won.
