Alex Karaban leads UConn men to Sweet 16 with career-best effort in 73-57 win over UCLA

Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant on Mar 23, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PHILADELPHIA – Alex Karaban played like a man trying to keep his career alive on Sunday night.

UConn’s all-time winningest player scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Huskies back to the Sweet 16 for the third time in his career with a 73-57 win over fellow blue-blood UCLA at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Karaban made nine of his 16 shots from the field and extended the program’s career 3-point record to 284 with four triples

It will be the program’s 20th appearance in the Sweet 16 all-time and third under coach Dan Hurley as the No. 2 seeded Huskies improved to 31-5 on the year. UConn will meet No. 3 seed Michigan State in Washington, D.C. on Friday.

UCLA, the No. 7 seed, finished its season 24-12.

Karaban’s effort was supported by 17 points from freshman Braylon Mullins, who made a pair of triples on six attempts, and 11 from Jayden Ross, who left a major mark on the game in the first half. Tarris Reed Jr. followed his historic performance in the first round with 10 points and 13 rebounds on Sunday, and Silas Demary Jr. returned from his ankle injury going a team-best plus-22 with two points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals in 22 minutes.

Demary checked in for the first time after the first media timeout with 14:15 left in the first half and UConn trailing, 14-11.

Neither team scored for the next three minutes, until after the second media timeout when Bruins’ bigs Eric Dailey Jr. (12 points) and Xavier Booker (13 points) went up strong inside for a pair of buckets. But Karaban nailed his second 3-pointer of the game and scored 11 of UConn’s first 15 points.

Smith got a tough basket to go and Ross drew a foul as he nailed a 3-pointer – the first Husky other than Karaban to do so on Sunday. Ross added a second from deep to give UConn its first lead of the game, 23-21, and was fouled on another 3-point attempt to score nine-consecutive points for the Huskies, who made seven straight shots from the field after a 4 for 16 start. The junior defensive specialist was active in creating deflections as UCLA turned the ball over seven times in the first half to UConn’s eight.

Mullins, after starting his NCAA Tournament career 0 for 11 from 3, found his stroke and nailed a pair in the final three minutes as Karaban, Ball and Reed sat with two fouls a piece, sending the Huskies into halftime with a 38-33 lead.

UCLA came out of the break on a 9-2 run to regain the lead, but Karaban answered by scoring 11 of UConn’s first 13 points in the second half and starting a 14-0 run. After Reed made his first shot from the field, Karaban landed his fourth 3-pointer of the night to push the Huskies’ advantage to 56-44 with 10:41 to go.

But just as UConn looked like it might run away with the game, Dailey revived his strong second half with a 3-pointer and a three-point play under the basket as the Bruins clawed back to within four around the eight-minute mark.

The Huskies snatched the momentum back after Mullins was fouled on a 3-pointer and Demary found Ross for an emphatic two-handed slam. Then Karaban blocked guard Trent Perry at the other end and UCLA coach Mick Cronin was called for a technical foul, which allowed Karaban a pair of free throws. UConn kept the possession and Mullins finished inside to make it a 13-point game, the largest lead of the night for either team, with four and half minutes to play.

____