STORRS, Conn. — Tarris Reed Jr. needed the fire and intensity that comes with playing for a coach like Dan Hurley and a program like UConn.

And the Huskies, never more than during this NCAA Tournament run, needed Tarris Reed Jr. at his best.

The elephant in the room — addressed numerous times down the stretch of this season — was that UConn couldn’t reach its ceiling without its senior center playing to his potential. It hadn’t been fully tapped into before he came to Connecticut as a junior, following two years at Michigan where his talent flashed, but so did some inconsistency. He showed improvement last season playing behind Samson Johnson, but it wasn’t until this year, during the final month of the regular season, once he got fully healthy and realized the stakes, that it finally clicked with him just how dominant he can be.

“How hard we fight, with the fire that I coach with, the fire that the program plays with, the intensity that we go about basketball out here, like, he needed that injected into his veins as a player. Because that was probably a knock on him — was incredibly talented, but a little bit of an enigma in terms of what he was able to do his first two years at Michigan,” Hurley said Tuesday, before flying out to Indianapolis for the program’s third Final Four in four years.

“The motor, the relentlessness — that was the missing piece for him because he’s so skilled and he’s such a freak.”

Going into the tournament, Reed was made well aware that his efforts would decide how long the team’s season — and his college career — last.

It might’ve ended in the first round had it not been for his historic 31-point, 27-rebound effort in a 10-point win over No. 15 seed Furman. That was followed by 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks against No. 7 seed UCLA, then 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks against No. 3 seed Michigan State. UConn wouldn’t have had a chance in Sunday’s unforgettable comeback win over No. 1 overall seed Duke had it not been for Reed keeping the team afloat in the first half and keying the second-half surge, finishing with 26 points, nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals.

Averaging 21.8 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks over the four games, he was a no-brainer for East Regional Most Outstanding Player after Braylon Mullins’ last-second shot sent the Huskies into euphoria.

“All of the coaches have really been on him 24/7 about how important he is to the team and how important his voice is; how important it is for him to lead,” said Silas Demary Jr., who made the deflection to set up Mullins’ shot. “Once he finally understood how important he was, he took on that challenge and I think all the work he’s been putting in is showcasing on the biggest stage of his life.”

Only six players in NCAA Tournament history have recorded at least 87 points and 54 rebounds in a four-game span since seeding began in 1979: Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Blake Griffin, Zach Edey and Tarris Reed Jr.

“You just never know when someone’s gonna fully mature. You just hope that they figure it out before you run out of time,” Hurley said. “We’ve seen flashes of the dominance, the brilliance. … It clicks for different people at different times in their career. Hopefully the light switch has gone on for him and will stay on for him to finish the tournament and in his pro NBA career, but this is just who he is now.”

Reed still can’t fathom the final stat line from the first round.

“That’s all Jesus, man, the Holy Spirit moving through me,” he said, always grounded by his faith. “I can’t even explain that 31/27 Furman game, I still don’t even like… Video game numbers, bro. It’s a blessing.”

He’s been virtually unstoppable inside, showing off post moves and footwork, spinning around defenders and stepping through double-teams like he hasn’t done all season.

“This is it, man. Not the whole bag, but a lot of the bag’s gotta come out now, you know? Teams have scouted me all year, gonna try to shut down my left shoulder and right hand, so being able to open up the floor, what do I have to lose now? I’m gonna go for it,” Reed said. “(The Big East Tournament final against) St. John’s, one thing I learned from that game is we’ve got to go out with honor. Win, lose or draw, we’re going out swinging every game. That’s my approach, that’s our approach as a team.”

Reed was just coming back from injury when UConn beat Illinois at Madison Square Garden. He played only 15 minutes and was in foul trouble, finishing with just two points and five rebounds without making a shot from the field in the 13-point win. Illinois has been playing at a much higher level of late, but so has he.

If UConn gets past the Illini, there is a chance Reed could meet his old friends at Michigan in the national championship game.

“I texted some of the guys, told them I’ll see them in Indy, but I’m really just trying to focus on Illinois now. But of course it’s in the back of your head, how crazy would that be?” Reed said. “I’m so excited, shaking. I never thought I’d be in this position and like, I’m walking in answered prayers. It’s a blessing.”

“This is all we ever wanted for Tarris,” Hurley said. “Historic-level production and impact, it’s amazing when you look at what he’s done through four games, it’s like who’s who in the sport of basketball. That’s what he’s capable of. I mean, this guy, when he’s locked in and has a nastiness to him and he asserts himself and he plays to his identity and he’s motivated to the max, this is what he does. This is why we brought him here. People have seen this in him since he was a high school prospect, and now he’s starting to put it all together at the right time.”

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