Center stage: Resurgent Tarris Reed out to win marquee big-man battle vs. St. John’s Zuby Ejiofor

Dan Hurley and the UConn coaching staff didn’t take it easy on Tarris Reed Jr. after their loss to Creighton last week. His mistakes were all over the film as the Huskies dissected one of their worst defensive performances of the season.

He bounced back with what Hurley called “his best game as a UConn player” on Saturday at Villanova, “because of the embarrassing loss we had at home.”

Reed didn’t put up monster numbers – he had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks, albeit in 23 minutes – but he felt it, too.

“I felt like I was moving really well, really active in the gaps. Watching the film back, really just being ultra-active, just helping out my teammates. I felt like that was really evident in that second-half push,” Reed said. “That felt like one of my best games that I’ve played here. It felt really good just getting out there, just playing free.”

“His ball-screen defense, his rim protection, his screening, his post-ups were all the best that they’ve been since he’s been here,” Hurley said.

Three keys for UConn men’s basketball in high-stakes matchup vs. St. John’s

That was against one of the best centers in the Big East in Villanova’s Duke Brennan. Now he’ll get the preseason Big East Player of the Year and, hands-down, one of the best centers in the country in St. John’s big Zuby Ejiofor with the Huskies’ hopes of a chance at the regular-season championship largely on the line.

Ejiofor flirted with a triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks when the teams met earlier this month at Madison Square Garden in an 81-72 Red Storm win. He had similar numbers in the second matchup against the Huskies last season (18 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three blocks) after Reed and Samson Johnson held him to just 11 points and five rebounds the first time they met.

“You couldn’t build Ejiofor up more than we had in the lead up to that game (on Feb. 7). I mean, he leads his team in points, rebounding, assists, blocks – I guess he’s the only major college player (to do so). And the guy’s tenacious, he’s probably one of the most tenacious players in the country,” Hurley said.

It is always a physical battle under the basket between the two every time they meet. But it doesn’t get personal, Reed says.

“But it’s definitely a fun challenge. I mean, two good bigs, me and him, in the Big East Conference and in the country, it’s always good to go against really competitive players like Zuby,” Reed said. “They got us last time at their place, at the Garden, now they have to come here so it’s gonna be a tough, gritty game and that’s what you want as a competitor. … I’ve just got to go out there and dominate. That’s gonna be a key to the game. Just go out there, dominate from the jump and it’s gonna be on the defensive end for us.”

UConn’s chances will largely come down to Reed and the team’s ability to defend the paint, which St. John’s attacks as much as any team in the country with its three-headed frontcourt of Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell.

“I don’t care what the matchup ends up being,” Hurley said. “For us, it’s about winning a game. … We need to win the game. If he outplays Ejiofor, that obviously helps our chances.”

Huskies understand the stakes

UConn is not avoiding the fact that if it loses, its chances at the Big East regular-season title are essentially out the window. St. John’s is 15-1 in conference play with four games — including the Huskies — remaining. UConn is 15-3 with three games left.

“It’s a big focus for us,” said captain Alex Karaban. “We know St. John’s is at the top right now, and we know we’ve got to win if we want to keep our hopes alive. And, just like the rest of the year, the remaining three games we have, we’ve got to win out if we want a chance at winning the regular season. It’s extremely important to us. Coach has emphasized that these are playoff games for us now and we’ve just got to go one game at a time.”

It would take the Johnnies losing two of their last three games and the Huskies winning out just for a share of the top spot in the standings.

“When its all said and done, as unfair as that is to coaches that put forth monster regular seasons on top of each other year after year, in the end all anyone’s gonna talk about is what you did in March, what you did in March Madness. That’s just the nature of our sport,” Hurley said. “But the true testament of a team, the resiliency, fortitude of a regular season – especially a 20-game Big East regular season. … Just the will of the men involved, the coaches, the players, the mental toughness, the physical toughness, the strength – all of those things. That’s why I think the regular-season championship is special that way.”

Ross embracing his role

Jayden Ross has been tabbed as the go-to player off the bench when the Huskies need an injection of energy on the defensive end.

“It’s a lot of pride that comes with it, but more than anything I feel like I come in and I know that, for my team to be successful, that’s what I need to do,” he said. “I’ve got to be able to come into the game and be like, I impacted the game in a positive way. That’s how I look at it a lot of ways, see what the plus-minus looks like at the end of the game, see how impactful I am. If I’m able to come in and get stops and produce offense and just continue in that way, I feel really good about my game.”

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