When the UConn Huskies take the court at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday night to face off against the Michigan Wolverines, a former Michigan star is going to be playing for UConn head coach Dan Hurley.
Huskies senior center Tarris Reed Jr. was originally a Wolverine, but then transferred to UConn. What happened?
Tarris Reed Jr. Gets a Chance to Defeat Michigan on College Basketball’s Biggest Stage
Reed, a native of St. Louis, Mo., averaged 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.0 blocks for UConn in the 2025-26 regular season. He also shot 61.7% from the floor.
But Reed, who was a highly sought-after recruit, chose to start his college basketball career playing for Juwan Howard at Michigan. Reed didn’t see much playing time in his freshman season, but that all changed in his sophomore year. That season, Reed played 26.6 minutes per game while averaging 9 points and 7.2 rebounds.
He started in 31 of the 32 games that he played for the Wolverines. But Howard, a member of Michigan’s historic “Fab Five” squad, was fired after Reed’s sophomore season. At that point, Reed decided to enter the transfer portal and he eventually landed at UConn.
In the 2024-25 college basketball season, Reed was relegated to a reserve role. This season, though, has been a totally different story. Reed has significantly elevated his game during March Madness, averaging 20.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 0.8 steals while shooting 58.2% from the field.
Reed has a strong argument to win the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, and he was named the Most Outstanding Player on the East All-Region Team. He joined Tim Duncan, Bill Walton, and Hakeem Olajuwon in an exclusive club, as the only players with 40 points and 40 rebounds through two NCAA Tournament games.
On Monday night, Reed will be on the biggest stage of his college basketball career. He’ll have a chance to help Hurley and his Huskies teammates cut down the net and win the program’s third championship in four years.
It will be interesting to see how NBA scouts view Reed’s efforts on Monday night and how his game translates to the pros. It’s been a long and winding road for Reed from Michigan to UConn, but he has emerged as one of the best players in the entire country.
Tonight, in a full-circle moment, he has a chance to have a dominant revenge game against his former squad.
