30/25 Club: UConn's Tarris Reed Joins Exclusive NCAA Tournament Company
Connecticut senior Tarris Reed Jr., averaging 8.9 and 6.7 in his four-year college career commencing at Michigan, exploded for 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman in opening round of East Regional. He became the first player in 58 years to exceed 30 points and 25 rebounds in a single playoff outing.
Providing a little leeway in board work, preliminary research indicates Reed is the only non-All-American to accumulate at least 30 points and 20 rebounds in a tourney tilt since Colorado State's Sonny Bustion contributed a 30/20 effort against Oklahoma City in the 1965 West Regional First Round. Incredibly, Houston's Elvin Hayes and Ohio State's Jerry Lucas went 30/25 in multiple playoff games. Reed, a St. Louis native who averaged a modest 8.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg in two playoff contests last year, joined the following exclusive company in the NCAA Tournament 30/25 Club (rebounds weren't comprehensively tracked until the mid-1950s):
| All-American | School | 30/25 Performance in NCAA Tournament |
|---|---|---|
| Elvin Hayes | Houston | 49/27 vs. Loyola of Chicago in 1968 Midwest Regional First Round. |
| Elvin Hayes | Houston | 39/25 vs. Texas Christian in 1968 Midwest Regional final. |
| Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 33/30 vs. Kentucky in 1961 Mideast Regional final. |
| Jerry Lucas | Ohio State | 36/25 vs. Western Kentucky in 1960 Mideast Regional semifinal. |
| Elvin Hayes | Houston | 31/28 vs. Pacific in 1966 West Regional Third-Place Game. |
| Tom Gola | La Salle | 30/25 vs. Canisius in 1955 East Regional final. |