Texas Southern Basketball: 3 keys to a First Four victory on Wednesday

3. Turn to Trayvon Reed inside

Trayvon Reed is building a Cinderella story of his own. The big man was considered a major talent, but an arrest destroyed his opportunity at playing for the Maryland Terrapins, where he originally committed.

After a few games with Auburn, Reed eventually left that program as well, disappearing from college basketball for three years.

Now a junior at Texas Southern, the 7-foot-2 center is making his impact felt. He averaged 9.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game this season, making 67.5% of his shots.

Reed arguably saved his best performance for the SWAC Final, scoring 17 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and blocking four shots in the win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

His field goal percentage led the conference by over 10 points, and he blocked double the amount of shots of the second-most prolific shot blocker in the league.

Reed is not the most dynamic player on Texas Southern. That title belongs to senior Donte Clark, who averaged 18.6 points per game this season, good for second place in the SWAC.

But most teams will find their biggest matchup problem in Reed. North Carolina Central, for one, doesn’t have any players taller than 6-foot-9, giving Reed an automatic five-inch size advantage over any member of the Eagles.

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That will come in handy, both in the First Four and for the rest of the tournament.