Alex Karaban is stepping up for UConn basketball when it matters most once again.
Alex Karaban will never have to buy drinks again in the state of Connecticut for as long as he lives. From the minute he stepped on campus he has been a focal point of the team and without him, this magical run UConn basketball has been on would cease to exist.
There have been so many huge shots that he has hit during both national championship runs and he has been a player that does so many of the little things right that head coach Dan Hurley has not been able to keep him off the floor.
Even though this junior season may not have gone according to plan, he is beginning to heat up again, most recently hitting a huge three in crunch time to pull off the victory over Marquette as the regular season is coming to a close. Hurley put it best postgame saying “Alex is starting to heat up. It’s March.”
HUSKIES WIN‼️@keybank pic.twitter.com/f9YilN0exG
— UConn Men’s Basketball (@UConnMBB) March 6, 2025
An unexpected beginning.
Not many fans envisioned Alex Karaban making an immediate impact on the UConn program as a freshman. It actually was Samson Johnson who was in the starting rotation to begin the season against Stonehill in 2023 but Johnson suffered an injury in the opener which caused him to miss most of the season. This thrusted Alex Karaban into a starting role the very next game, a role that he would never relinquish.
He was the perfect compliment around starters Adama Sanogo, Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson, and Tristen Newton. He excelled at cutting and slipping in the heavy motion offense Dan Hurley likes to implement and his ability to shoot the basketball created amazing spacing for a team full of sharpshooters.
This resulted in an outstanding freshman campaign with Karaban averaging 9.3 points per game while shooting over 40% from behind the arc. He played heavy minutes, averaging over 28 minutes a game and routinely saw over 30 minutes a game in the NCAA Tournament that was highlighted with numerous shots to beat the halftime buzzer.
All of this culminated in Alex Karaban making the Big East All- Freshman team and most importantly, a national champion.
A historic second act.
Alex Karaban’s sophomore season saw more of the same. He was a steady hand in the lineup, playing and starting in all 39 games. Not surprisingly, he saw his minutes increase to over 31 per game and this also resulted in an increased scoring role with Karaban upping his totals to 13.3 points per game.
This allowed UConn basketball to achieve something that had not been done since the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Florida Gators, win back to back championships.
Many believed this would be a near impossible feat in the new transfer portal era, where players seem to change teams almost every season. Player retention was and has been a huge key to UConn’s success. Having players that have gone through battles and have faced adversity together strengthens team’s bonds and that is the missing ingredient with so many college teams that end up flaming out in the NCAA Tournament.
The final curtain.
After winning back-to-back titles, Alex Karaban tested the NBA Draft waters, but ultimately decided to return for his junior season. One of the main reasons for this was to chase an elusive three-peat, something that only John Wooden’s UCLA team has accomplished in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
Karaban and the entire team have not been shy talking about this. The team is still hungry for more championships and the team appeared poised to do so in the early stages of the season. They were ranked as high as second in the AP Poll, however the team stumbled in the Maui Invitational Tournament, losing 3 games in 3 days.
UConn was able to right the ship following that debacle, but have been inconsistent during Big East play. Alex Karaban in particular has struggled with his shot, most notably missing two free throws at the end of the game in a loss at Villanova.
Following that heartbreaking defeat, Karaban had a 10 game stretch where he had arguably his worst shooting slump of his career, going just 19% from three on 53 attempts. Unfortunately for the rest of the college basketball world, he appears to be breaking out of that slump at just the right time. Over his past four games, he has shot an impressive 43% on 21 attempts.
The cherry on top was a dagger three-pointer against Marquette in Gampel Pavillion, a shot Karaban deserved to see fall through the net. Karaban alluded to this postgame when asked about the shot, saying “It was a big shot, obviously happy it went in. It was a great feeling to have.”
As this up-and-down 2024-2025 season is coming to a close, UConn basketball fans should appreciate all that Alex Karaban has done for the program. “That kid, is one of the best players, one of the most decorated players to ever play in this program. And the most decorated active player in college basketball,” said Hurley postgame following their home win over Marquette.
There are no other players in college basketball with as much big game experience as Alex Karaban and he is ready once again to step onto the biggest stage and deliver.