Tarris Reed Jr. Leads UConn Past Xavier in Big East Tournament

The center had himself a game as he helped his UConn Huskies defeat the Xavier Musketeers in the Big East Tournament Quarterfinals.

Mar 12, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts during the first half against the Xavier Musketeers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The UConn Huskies and head coach Dan Hurley walked into Madison Square Garden, which is usually called "Storrs South" to Huskies fans, and took care of business.

They took a 50-30 lead at halftime and never looked back, as the Huskies defeated Xaveir 93-68 in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

But a lot of credit for the win should go to center Tarris Reed Jr. He had an amazing game, finishing with 17 points on 8-12 shooting with 14 rebounds and 2 assists. The center was doing it all, and it seemed like a lot of the offense was running through him all game.

When Reed Jr. gets down low into the paint, opponents are mismatched, and he wins that battle nearly every single time. It also helps that Hurley's team had defeated the Musketeers both times in the regular season and have now swept them in three matchups this year.

Senior Alex Karaban and forward Solo Ball also had big games for the Huskies as Karaban finished the night with 15 points on 5-10 shooting and Ball finished with 19 points on 5-12 shooting. The Huskies definitely need these two to figure it out, and they did.

Feb 28, 2026; Storrs, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) reacts to the crowd after defeating the Seton Hall Pirates at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Huskies had the Musketeers number all year and it showed again in this matchup

The Huskies went 3-0 against the Musketeers and beat them in each game convincingly. The Huskies got ahead and just kept adding to the lead and the game never looked like it was going to be close.

The Huskies were just better prepared and more ready to play than Xavier was. The Huskies were able to use their bench players more in Malachi Smith, Eric Reibe, and Jayden Ross way more minutes than they are used to seeing as Hurley has realized adjustments he has needed to make as of late.

UConn fans came into this game against the Musketeers nervous after the team dropped their last game of the regular season against the Marquette Golden Eagles. But had nothing to worry about in this one as it did not start close and it did not end close.

Karaban, Ball and others knew the game plan and were ready and came out shooting well in this one. The Huskies absolutely needed this one over the Musketeers to find their momentum again, and coach Hurley should be proud.

Now, the Huskies await the winner of the Georgetown Hoyas and the Villanova Wildcats to determine who they play in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament.

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