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| Furman point guard Alex Wilkins scored 21 points and tied for team-high honors along with senior Tom House |
Season Ends in Valiant Effort Against the Six-Time National Champions
PHILADELPHIA, PA--UConn center Tarris Reed Jr scored 31 points and grabbed 27 rebounds, as the No. 2 seed Huskies held off No. 15 Furman, 82-71, in front of a crowd of 19,636 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The win sees the Huskies move to 30-5 overall and will take on UCLA in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament, while Furman's season comes-to a close at 22-13.
Reed Jr.'s double-double performance was not only a career-high performance but was also individual double-double performance the tournament in 58 years, and also just the third performances equaling those aforementioned totals in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Reed Jr. joined both Jerry Lucas and Elvin Hayes as one of only three players in NCAA history to post at least 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game.
He finished the night connecting on 12-of-15 shots from the field and was 7-for-9 from the charity stripe and also added three assists in 34 minutes of work.
Reed Jr. was joined in double figures by both senior Alex Karaban and freshman Braylon Mullins, who added both 22 and 12 points, respectively. The Huskies were without talented both veteran point guard Silas Demery Jr., who averaged 10.9 PPG and 6.2 APG, as well as top sixth man Jaylin Stewart (4.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Dayton transfer Malachi Smith made the start at point guard in place of Demery, scoring four points and dishing out seven assists in 31 minutes of work.
While the Huskies struggled from three-point range once again, the same cannot be said for Karaban, who scored 12 of his 22 points from beyond the arc, as he finished the night 4-for-9 from downtown, while the rest of the team went 1-for-16 from long range. Additionally, the senior from Southborough, MA., added three rebounds, three assists and three steals. All told, Karaban was an impressive 9-for-16 from the field for the game.
Mullins, a talented freshman guard, who garnered Freshman All-Big East honors this season, went 5-for-12 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line to finish with 12 points. He also added six assists and three steals.
Furman was led by record-breaking freshman point guard Alex Wilkins, and senior Tom House, as the duo both netted 21 points in the losing effort for the Paladins. Wilkins scored 15 of his 21 points in the opening half of play, as he would help the Paladins stay afloat in the opening 20 minutes of basketball.
For the night, Wilkins connected on 8-of-15 shots from the field, including finishing 4-for-8 from three-point range. The talented rookie addition from Mattapan, MA., went 1-for-3 from the charity stripe, while adding four assists, four turnovers, one steal and one rebound.
Wilkins ended his freshman campaign by setting a new standard for points in a single season by a Paladin rookie, finishing the season with 622 points.
The SoCon Tourney's Most Outstanding Player and SoCon Second-Team Selection surpassed for Paladin great and SoCon Hall-of-Famer Jonathan Moore's total of 561 points in 28 games (1976-77) in Furman's championship run in the Southern Conference Tournament. Wilkins' 21-point effort was his 14th performance of 20 or more points in a game this season, while it also marked his 29th game of 35 that he finished in double figures.
House, who transferred into Furman after spending two years at Florida State prior to the 2024-25 season, finished out his career in emphatic fashion, with his 21 points coming via a 5-for-13 effort from the field, which included a 4-of-9 effort from three-point range and a 7-for-9 effort from the line. The Dayton, OH., product also posted three rebounds and logged a total of 36 minutes of action.
House was one of three seniors that played their final game for the Paladins on Friday evening, as he was joined by both forwards Charles Johnston and Ben Vander Wal.
Johnston rounded out his Paladin career with 10 points and six rebounds, bringing a collective roar out of the 19,636 fans, as he connected on a transition three as time expired in the half, with Furman heading to the locker room, trailing by only four, at 40-36. He also added a blocked shot to his overall totals in his final game for Furman, having spent his final two campaigns in Greenville after transferring in from Cal State Monterrey Bay prior to the 2024-25 season.
UConn finished the game connecting on 49.2% (32-of-65) from the field, but just 20% (5-of-25). The Huskies also finished 72.2% (13-of-18) from the charity stripe.
The game would see the Huskies finish the contest connecting on 44.7% (21-of-47) from the field and 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point land. The Paladins also shot a solid 76.9% (20-of-26) from the free throw line.
Because of Reed's supreme dominance on the backboards, the Huskies held a huge 44-23 edge on the glass, and finished with 18 offensive rebounds, while allowing Furman just four. It led to a substantial 16-6 edge by UConn in the second-chance points category.
The Huskies also held advantages in points in the paint (46-24), points from turnovers (14-12), fast-break points (12-10), while Furman held a 10-4 edge in bench scoring.
Both teams shared the basketball well, running some beautiful offensive sets throughout the course of the game, and that led to a combined 35 assists on 53 combined made field goals. The Huskes finished with 22 assists on 32 made field goals, while Furman posted 14 assists on 21 made field goals.
How It Happened:
Furman's season would end in a game which would see, in certain stretches, some of the best basketball it has played all season. In nine seasons as Furman's head coach, the 2025-26 Paladins were arguably the best example of reaching their best form in March. The one other team that rivaled this iteration of Paladin basketball was the 2022-23 team, which of course the one that knocked off Virginia.
In order to stay close on the scoreboard, Furman knew it would have to weather an early haymaker by the Huskies, and after UConn took an early 6-0 lead, it resembled the 2023 game against the Virginia Cavaliers--one in which the Paladins ended up winning 68-67 on a JP Pegues three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left--as the 'Dins would fall behind 8-0 in that particular game.
Alex Wilkins would help set the tone, however, driving the lane and converting a layup off the glass to get the Paladins on the board and would also get fouled in the process by UConn's Alex Karaban. Wilkins would miss the free throw, but that would set the tone for the Paladins the rest of the way.
The Huskies pushed their lead to eight, at 12-4, following UConn's lone three of the opening half, which came from Alex Karaban
Wilkins then lobbed to Cooper Bowser for an emphatic flush on an alley-oop before converting back-to-back threes to get the Paladins within two, at 12-10, just over five minutes into the game. The crowd reached peak volume after the Bowser dunk and continued its involvement in backing the Paladins with Wilkins' early hot start. It was a signal to the rest of the folks watching at home that Furman was going to keep fans viewing the game elsewhere up well past their originally anticipated bedtime for the 2 vs.15 matchup.
Reed's dominance from the outset was notable, as he would score 19 points and post 16 boards by the time the two teams headed to their respective halftime locker rooms.
Furman took a brief 19-18 lead following a pair of free throws by Charles Johnston, but a quick 8-0 run, which was capped by a Reed layup put the Huskies back on top, 26-19, with 8:11 left in the half would put UConn back on top by seven. A Tom House three-pointer with 4:55 left in the half got Furman to within a single point, at 29-28, but an 11-5 run would be capped by a Braylon Mullins layup with 37 seconds remaining in the half and after a Mullins steal on Furman's next possession and UConn called timeout with 15 seconds remaining.
Mullins would miss a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining, giving the Paladins a chance for the final points, and it would be senior-to-senior that would give Furman all the momentum heading into the half, as Ben Vander Wal came up with the carom before his outlet pass found Johnston a little past halfcourt and he would take a couple of dribbles before pulling up for three and knocking it down as time expired in the half, cutting the Furman deficit to four, at 40-36.
In the second half, the Huskies would threaten to run away with the game on a pair of occasions before Furman would eventually make the final six minutes worrisome for UConn. The Huskies held an 11-point lead (54-43) after a Reed layup just over four minutes in. The Huskies again led it by double digits, at 65-55, midway through the second half when Solo Ball connected on a layup off the glass.
Furman would push back, however, and a three-pointer by Wilkins got Furman back to within five, at 69-64, with 6:41 remaining. After Vander Wal converted 1-of-2 free throws with 5:52 remaining, the deficit remained five, at 70-65, for the 'Dins. But turnovers on the next two possessions by Furman proved costly. A Reed power dunk off a steal, a free throw by Malachi Smith and a three by Karaban after three offensive rebounds on the same possession by Reed proved to be the dagger, as it would end up putting the Huskies back ahead by double digits, at 76-65, with 2:06 remaining.
Furman couldn't close to within double digits again, and the Huskies stretched their lead to their largest of the night when Ball connected on a pair of free throws with 50 seconds remaining, scoring the final points of the night for UConn, making it an 82-68 game. Furman got a Tom House free throw and after a classy move to take a shot-clock violation by UConn on its next possession, Furman finished the game off with a Wilkins uncontested layup with eight seconds remaining, setting the final margin at 14.
Press Conference:
Following another championship season, Furman will now head to the off-season with plenty of momentum should it be able to keep its current roster together. Much more to come in the days in terms of what is to come for Furman basketball, as the season comes to a close, the portal opens, and then should there be any other news to report concerning Paladin basketball.
A Few Notes:
--Furman is now 245-121 since the start of the 2015-16.
--Bob Richey finished his ninth season with a record of 203-94.
--The Paladins fell to 2-9 in the NCAA Tournament.
--The Paladins are now 4-14 against Power Conference opponents under head coach Bob Richey.
--Ben Vander Wal's 92 wins ranks him sixth in school history in total wins. He was the SoCon's Pinnacle Award winner for the highest GPA on the winning team at the SoCon Tournament. A noted "glue guy", Vander Wal was a SoCon All-Defensive Team selection.
--The Paladins ended the season with 81 true road wins since the start of the 2016-17 season, which ranks fifth nationally among NCAA Division I programs.
--Furman played in an NCAA sanctioned tournament for the fourth time in the past eight seasons (2 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NIT appearances). The Paladins have posted a 47-23 record over the past two season
--Furman fell to 0-3 all-time against UConn, and it was the first meeting between the two in a decade. The 11-point setback was easily the closest game in series history, with the Huskies claiming an 83-58 win in Storrs back on Nov. 21, 2015, as well as a 19-point, 87-68, win in 1991.
--Furman senior forward Charles Johnston finished his career with 26-career double-doubles, including 11 this season.
--The Paladins finished the campaign as the fifth-tallest team in the country.
--Furman opened its brand new 40-millinon dollar refurbished Timmons Arena, finishing 11-5 at home, which marks the most home losses since the 2014-15 season.
--The 22 wins are the eighth-most wins in a single-season in Furman history. The Paladins now have 17 20-win seasons, including having won 20 or more games in eight of the past 10 seasons. The COVID compromised 2020-21 season (16-9) and the 2023-24 (17-16) are the only two seasons in the past 10 that have seen Furman fail to reach the 20-win plateau.
--Alex Wilkins set a freshman record with 622 points, and his 17.8 PPG scoring average was the second highest in Furman history. Only Jonathan Moore's 20.0 PPG in 1976-77 ranked higher.
--Wilkins became the second Furman point guard in a four-year span to finish the season as the SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Performer, with JP Pegues winning the same award in 2023-24.
--"Tournament Tom" --Furman senior Tom House was a second-team All-SoCon Tournament selection and scored 20 or more points in three out of eight tournament games (SoCon Tourney, NIT and NCAA Tournament) over the past two seasons, including scoring in double figures in 5-of-8. He finished his 2025-26 season with four total 20+scoring efforts this season and scored in double figures in three out of Furman's final four games.
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