Tarris Reed Jr. Delivers At Free Throw Line As UConn Survives Michigan State In Sweet 16

Alex Karaban, who finished with 17 points, then converted both ends of a one-and-one with 22.5 seconds left to stretch the lead to three. Reed finished with 20 points. His final two free throws, after rebounding a missed Michigan State attempt with 4.6 seconds on the clock, sealed the result. The Huskies (32-5) advance to Sunday's East Region final against top-seeded Duke, a matchup that mirrors the 1999 national championship game, which UConn won. The Huskies are 5.5 point betting underdogs going into the game against Duke. UConn built an early 19-point advantage on the strength of a 15-1 run, with Malachi Smith, Solo Ball and Jaylin Stewart combining for four three-pointers. Michigan State trimmed the deficit to eight by halftime and pulled ahead 45-44 on a Jaxon Kohler three-point play midway through the second half. The Spartans (27-8) shot just 4-of-16 from three-point range and ultimately ran out of steam down the stretch. 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. 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.