When Alex Karaban decided to return to UConn for another season, his fifth with the program, the clear and obvious goal was to win another national championship. Now a redshirt senior, Karaban entered the 2025-26 campaign having already won two titles with the Huskies. And after the chance for a three-peat fell short last spring, the star forward bypassed the chance to turn pro for one more run alongside head coach Dan Hurley.
There were three championships to chase for a team that entered the year with sky-high expectations: a Big East regular season title, a Big East Tournament title and the school’s third national championship in four years. The first two opportunities came and went. UConn stumbled in its final regular season game against Marquette, which handed St. John’s the outright title, and then got walloped by the Red Storm in the Big East title game last weekend.
Now, the only championship remaining for Karaban to chase is the sport’s ultimate prize. The Huskies earned a No. 2 seed in the East Region and will begin their pursuit on Friday night against No. 15 seed Furman in Philadelphia. It’s officially Karaban’s last dance.
“I feel no pressure whatsoever,” Karaban told me this week during an interview that also promoted his brand partnership with Great Clips. “Yes, we didn’t accomplish the goals that we wanted, but that only means that people don’t believe in us. People [picked] us to win the Huge East, individuals noticed all these accomplishments for us, and we didn’t do it. We didn’t do it. It was our fault. It’s clearly a disappointing feeling that we now have. However on the finish of the day, I feel that simply made individuals not imagine in us. So if individuals don’t need to imagine in us, that’s their selection.”
Here is our dialog, which has been condensed and edited for readability.
(Picture by Sarah Stier/Getty Photographs)
You’ve gone by means of a number of Choice Sundays by now. What was the emotion for you realizing that this was your final one?
Karaban: It was cool going by means of Choice Sunday. I feel the nerves by no means actually change. You all the time get excited simply realizing who you’re going to play and the place you’re going to go. March Insanity, it’s nearly like a brand new season in a manner, and it’s an thrilling feeling. It’s thrilling to see your teammates that haven’t been part of March Insanity sort of really feel these feelings as effectively. You’re employed so exhausting the complete 12 months for March Insanity, so it’s thrilling. And now it’s actually time to lock in a single sport at a time.
What’s the temper of the workforce after the Huge East title sport didn’t go your manner? You’re nonetheless 29-5. How are you feeling about the place the group is mentally proper now?
Karaban: We’re in a great spot. Clearly, Saturday didn’t go the way in which that we needed to, and a variety of disappointment and actually attempting to nonetheless flush that sport out of our system. However on the finish of the day, we’ve gotta transfer on, realizing the chance that we now have forward of us and the way thrilling March Insanity is for everyone. I used to be a part of a workforce the place we didn’t win the Huge East Event, and we had been in a position to flip that to successful a nationwide championship [in 2022-23]. We will’t let what occurred on Saturday outline how our season goes, and we’ve actually simply obtained to proceed to maneuver ahead and be taught from it — but additionally make it possible for doesn’t occur once more.
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Each championship groups throughout your time at UConn had been very dominant within the NCAA Event. What had been a number of the keys to discovering that stage of consistency to win six straight video games?
Karaban: We by no means regarded forward within the bracket. We began one sport at a time. For us, will probably be Furman to begin [this run]. Simply locking in and actually blocking out all the surface noise. We didn’t need to hear something from different individuals in addition to the individuals in our circle. These had been the one voices that mattered. We stayed with it, we had a constructive angle each single day, and actually simply trusted each other, trusted the coaches and leaned on one another as teammates to finally get what we needed.
There are numerous occasions all year long when Coach Hurley talks about how a lot credit score he provides to the teaching workers for drawing up sport plans and scouting. Is that aspect of the sport amplified throughout these fast turnarounds within the NCAA Event?
Karaban: I all the time have faith within the teaching workers. Each single sport this 12 months, I felt greater than ready, and I felt prepared for each single sport. It’s simply on us as gamers to go on the market and execute what they need us to do. No matter assistant [coach] has the scout all the time does an important job, and all through my expertise in March Insanity, they’ve been making ready nonstop for any opponent. So I really feel greater than prepared. I do know we’ve obtained the most effective coaches, and Coach Hurley additionally chimes in, too, for the scouts on each single sport and makes positive that we’re locked in for it. It’s all the time a collective effort from the coaches, they usually’re the most effective. They’re actually the most effective coaches.
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The non-conference schedule that you simply performed early within the 12 months included quite a few groups that at the moment are seeded fairly excessive within the NCAA Event. How effectively do you assume that ready you for a number of the groups you’ll see now that aren’t essentially from the Huge East?
Karaban: Oh, that ready us so much. All the colleges that we performed — Arizona, Kansas, BYU — simply all these elite, non-conference opponents that we performed, one, it provides us confidence in how good of a workforce we’re. But in addition, [it showed us] what it’s wish to play in opposition to the most effective. We felt like we had the most effective non-conference [schedule] to arrange us for moments like March Insanity. We’ll be prepared. We’re going to arrange. We’re actually going to have our sights locked in on Furman and transfer ahead. I’m excited. I feel there’s only a complete perception system going by means of our program, realizing what we did within the non-conference may actually translate to March.
Within the moments this season when UConn has performed its greatest basketball, what clicks for this explicit workforce?
Karaban: I feel we had been on the market simply actually leaning on one another. We had been on the market giving one another confidence. We had been on the market having enjoyable. And we had been actually enjoying like we simply let unfastened on the market. Actually simply enjoying as if there was no fear on this planet. You noticed the enjoyment that we had, you noticed the thrill. However actually, I feel it began on the defensive finish, too. We had been actually purchased in defensively. We had been caring for the basketball and simply performed off each other. I feel that’s one thing we’ve obtained to do in March and actually simply take pleasure in all the pieces that we’re a part of.
(Picture by Patrick McDermott/Getty Photographs)
Why do you assume the model of UConn’s offense, which incorporates so many actions and actions, is so troublesome for groups to defend within the NCAA Event?
Karaban: I feel it begins with we’re positively the workforce that makes use of probably the most off-ball motion and all these sophisticated actions. There’s not likely different groups in different conferences that do as a lot off-ball [movement] as we do. I feel that may throw groups for a loop realizing that the majority [of the time] they’re simply guarding ball screens or simply guarding a single pin down, when we now have so many actions with so many counter-punches to a sure motion, too. I feel that’s extraordinarily troublesome. After which additionally, if we’re in a position to win on Friday, you get a one-day prep as effectively for us. And I feel having such a brief prep for us can actually be a bonus for us with groups not in a position to see us the complete 12 months.
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While you get an opportunity to speak to a few of your teammates who haven’t performed within the NCAA Event but, whether or not these are freshmen or a number of the transfers, what do you inform them in regards to the seriousness it takes — but additionally what it’s wish to benefit from the expertise?
Karaban: There’s clearly a stage of seriousness that that you must have. Each workforce that makes March Insanity is sweet. I imply, they’re all in it for a motive. So that you’ve obtained to have a stage of seriousness and supreme respect for anybody you’re going to play in opposition to. However you’ve obtained to have enjoyable with it, too. You’ve dreamed of enjoying in March Insanity. All of us dreamed of enjoying school basketball, and all of us watched March Insanity rising up. So to be part of it’s all the time particular, it’s all the time a blessing, and you may’t take it without any consideration.
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