INDIANAPOLIS — tarris reed jr is set to finish his college career on the biggest stage possible, with UConn facing Michigan in the national championship game Monday night. The matchup comes after Reed spent his first two college seasons at Michigan before transferring to UConn for a fresh start and a larger role. For the Huskies, the timing could not be sharper, with Reed now carrying major weight in their bid for a third straight national title.
Tarris Reed Jr. and the road back to Michigan
Reed’s path back to Michigan has been shaped by opportunity, uncertainty and a steady climb inside UConn’s system. Michigan coach Dusty May said he saw Reed’s potential on tape before taking the Wolverines job, but Reed chose to stay in the portal when he believed the path to playing time in Ann Arbor was blocked. At UConn, the 6-foot-11, 265-pound St. Louis native found a program willing to give him a reset and a coach committed to turning raw talent into production.
Monday night’s game will bring that decision full circle. Reed will play against the school he called home for his first two seasons, and he has kept the tone calm around former teammates now on the Michigan roster. “We’re just chopping it up and talking a little bit, but like I said it’s the national championship on the line, ” Reed said Sunday. “It’s not personal. We know it’s just competing for the best outcome of our team. ”
UConn’s toughest voice, and Reed’s biggest breakthrough
Within UConn, Reed’s rise has come with pressure. Dan Hurley has been harder on Reed than on almost anyone, and Hurley has made clear for months that UConn’s season would hinge on which version of Reed showed up. That challenge has not always been easy for Reed to absorb, and Hurley has acknowledged that their relationship was sometimes strained because of the demands placed on him.
Even so, the results have been undeniable. Reed averaged 20. 8 points and 13. 0 rebounds through UConn’s first five NCAA Tournament games, including 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman in the Huskies’ opener. He has led UConn in scoring in four of its five postseason games and followed that with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Illinois in the Final Four. The stretch has positioned him as the center of UConn’s title push and one of the defining big men in the program’s recent run.
What UConn has seen from Reed
UConn associate head coach Kimani Young said one short clip was enough to show the staff something special in Reed. Rich Kelly, a UConn graduate assistant, said Reed arrived with width in his game but needed depth, and the coaches helped him understand where he could become truly great. That process, however, took time and demanded patience from both sides.
Reed himself has described moments of deep doubt, including nights when he questioned whether he should stay. He ultimately stayed at UConn, where he became the Big East’s 2024-25 Sixth Man Award winner and improved slightly from his final season at Michigan.
What happens next in Indianapolis
The championship game will now test whether Reed’s surge can carry all the way to a title. UConn has leaned on him throughout the tournament, and Michigan coach Dusty May said Reed “deserves the success. ” If he delivers again Monday night, Tarris Reed Jr. will not just close out his college career — he may also define how this UConn run is remembered.
