WASHINGTON (AP) — One of Tarris Reed Jr.’s few weaknesses is free-throw shooting.
With the season in the balance, the UConn big man came through at the line.
Reed scored 20 points, Alex Karaban added 17, and both made pressure-packed free throws in the final minute that helped second-seeded UConn hold off third-seeded Michigan State 67-63 in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. 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. The guys around me were like, ‘T, trust. We see you do free throw game every day, You put in the work every day and we see you at the free-throw line,’” Reed said. “So I took a deep breath and took my time at the line.”
The Huskies (32-5) led 61-60 when Reed made two foul shots with 44.8 seconds to play. Then Jeremy Fears Jr. made two for Michigan State with 32.3 remaining.
Karaban was fouled with 22.5 seconds to go. He made both ends of a one-and-one to give UConn a three-point lead, and after Michigan State was unable to find a quick shot, Kur Teng’s 3-pointer missed.
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 rebounded. His two free throws effectively sealed the win.
UConn advances to a true heavyweight clash in Sunday’s final of the NCAA Tournament’s East Region against top-seeded Duke.
Michigan State (27-8) overcame an early 19-point deficit but bowed out on a night the Spartans shot just 4 of 16 from 3-point range.
“Give our guys credit. We bounced back and picked away,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “Our goal in the second half was to play much better. We just kind of wore down.”
The four teams that arrived in Washington this week have combined for 13 national titles, so it was no surprise that both games Friday were pulsating. Duke’s 80-75 win over St. John’s in the opener came down to the last few seconds.
It looked at first like the second game wouldn’t. Malachi Smith, Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart combined for four 3-pointers during a 15-1 run that put UConn up 25-6. The Spartans had to clamp down defensively over the final three minutes just to trail 35-27 at halftime.
Michigan State scored the first seven points of the second, but the Huskies pushed back. After a steal and dunk by Reed put UConn back up by six, Huskies coach Dan Hurley began waving his arms wildly at the fans behind his bench, exhorting them to be louder.
The Spartans didn’t waver. A three-point play by Jaxon Kohler with 10:06 to play put Michigan State up 45-44.
A short scoring drought by the Spartans allowed UConn to take a 56-49 lead, but it stayed tight until the end. The Huskies led 58-57 when Karaban — who was crucial all night — made a 3.
“He’s a calming influence for me,” the excitable Hurley said before pausing. “I’m waiting for you to laugh. It’s like having an associate head coach that is in the locker room, that lives in the apartments, that is in the dining, that is in the weight room, that’s peer pressuring his teammates to do extra. It’s like having a top assistant that’s on your team and always around your players.”
Stewart returns
Stewart, who had been sidelined since late February because of a knee injury, came back and played 3 minutes for UConn, connecting on his only 3-point attempt.
Up next
Michigan State: Cooper and Kohler are both seniors, but Izzo is showing little sign of slowing down at this stage of his career.
UConn: The Huskies’ matchup with Duke might feel more like a Final Four game. In fact, they met in the 1999 title game, with UConn winning.
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This version removes an erroneous reference to Ball’s layup making it 56-49.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
