UConn will need its two-headed monster to contend with St. John’s interior trio

Eric Reibe could be critical to UConn’s chances against St. John’s Friday, especially if Tarris Reed, Jr. is in foul trouble. Reed and Reibe combined for 28 points and 15 rebounds Tuesday in Huskies’ win over Xavier. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

NEW YORK — Aside from the relentless defense, and in his two national championship seasons, dynamic offensive sets and execution, Dan Hurley is responsible for one more noticeable calling card during his reign at the University of Connecticut.

Whether with Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, Clingan and Samson Johnson, or Johnson and Tarris Reed, Jr., the Huskies have become easily identifiable by their two-man tandem at the center spot. It is a change of pace and a unique usage at that position that has enabled UConn to have a Batman and a Robin, a Johnny Carson and an Ed McMahon, a Pat Summerall and a John Madden, if you will.

Hurley’s latest big man pairing, featuring a senior in Reed and freshman Eric Reibe, has gained steam along with the rest of UConn’s roster entering February, and enters Friday’s matchup against St. John’s poised for an even greater breakout.

“Just a positive development is my confidence in Eric just to make sure that he’s getting an opportunity to make an impact, the way we allowed Donovan and Samson to do when they were coming off the bench at center,” Hurley said prior to UConn’s trip to Creighton last Saturday. “It’s tough to compare players, but with Donovan, he saw the big picture as a freshman. He knew he had a senior veteran center that he was splitting the position with, and there were going to be games where Adama played 30 minutes and he played 10.”

Reibe only scored four points in the Huskies’ 85-58 rout in Omaha, but rallied with 14 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Xavier, one where he matched Reed’s point total and fell one rebound short of matching his de facto mentor.

“You want Eric to be able to just understand that he plays in a dominant tandem that should look like this a lot for us,” Hurley continued. “I just hope he has the perspective that Donovan had when he was in the same position, because it worked out pretty well for Donovan.”

“They’ve always had a good combo inside,” Creighton head coach Greg McDermott conceded after having to battle UConn’s front line. “The championship teams, obviously, they could run two bigs at you, and I think with Reed and Eric, they still have that. We got Reed in a little foul trouble, but Eric’s a heck of a player.”

Reibe has had an unusual learning curve to his rookie season, thrown into the fire and high-leverage situations quicker than most at his position due to Reed’s early-season injuries. The freshman started both of UConn’s non-conference games against Arizona and Kansas, holding his own against Motiejus Krivas and Flory Bidunga, respectively. That experience will serve him well on Friday against St. John’s and its troika of bigs in Zuby Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell, as will another attribute of his game that has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“He has so much poise as a freshman,” Reed said of Reibe. “I feel like it’s so huge for us, especially for him. Looking back to my career, I did not have that type of poise my freshman year, so him just being a huge lift off the bench is giving the bench guys a huge boost, and even us a boost. So I feel like having him play like this the rest of the way is gonna be huge for us.”

While Reibe becomes a much more valuable piece for UConn regardless of whether or not Reed has to battle foul trouble on Friday, the third-ranked Huskies will need all hands on deck to overcome a St. John’s team that has won eight straight and is showing the makeup of a vintage Rick Pitino team. UConn has looked more formidable in its two recent efforts, winning by a combined 59 points, something that was in the works while using toughness and championship DNA to eke out close wins before the outbursts.

“You’re not thinking about who’s next a game out or two games out,” Hurley cautioned. “You’re really just locked in on who you’re playing. We obviously look like we’re doing a better job rebounding, a better job at the offensive end of the court, and the depth is showing up again for us. To have (Jayden) Ross, to have Eric as good as they are off the bench, Jaylin (Stewart), that’s what makes us tough to beat.”