Karaban shakes off slow start, finishes strong again as UConn beats Villanova

Alex Karaban scored all 17 of his points after halftime as UConn rallied to defeat Villanova. (Photo by Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog)

HARTFORD, Conn. — Some partnerships in life complement one another so well that one cannot be mentioned without the other

George Burns and Gracie Allen. Abbott and Costello. Laurel and Hardy. Alex Karaban and winning.

That last duo may seem out of place in the same company as the aforementioned luminaries, but the countless times in which the redshirt senior has willed UConn to victory deserve their joint recognition. Karaban was a driving force behind yet another win Saturday, scoring all of his 17 points after in the final 14 minutes of regulation and overtime as the No. 2 Huskies survived an upset bid from a scrappy Villanova squad at PeoplesBank Arena.

Karaban did not score his first points until the 9:03 mark of regulation, but that did not stop the veteran from putting his imprint on the game the way he had so many times prior against whoever has stood in his way.

“You’re talking about somebody with a different level of maturity, a different level of championship confidence,” head coach Dan Hurley said of Karaban postgame. “The most decorated player in the history of UConn basketball is not gonna go in the tank after a bad first half. He obviously carried us and made huge plays.”

In a full-circle moment of sorts, Karaban started and finished the Huskies’ game-ending 8-0 run at the free throw line, a cathartic reversal of fortune from last January, when he missed a pair of foul shots at Villanova that would have sent to overtime what ended up being a bitter road loss.

“It was ironic that I was at the line to finish the game,” he said. “But I wasn’t thinking about it whatsoever. I learned from that game, I grew from it, I put it behind me and just saw it as a learning opportunity from last year. So I thought it was pretty cool that I was able to finish it off, finish the game with free throws.”

“You don’t accomplish what he’s accomplished in his career, and what he’s going for this year, unless you’re just incredibly mentally tough and incredibly well-prepared, and able to make adjustments and put a bad half behind you,” Hurley elaborated. “The whole program changed when he got here.”

After a tumultuous junior season in which he valiantly led UConn through adversity while also carrying a greater load due to lack of depth, Karaban has played more within himself this season. His averages of 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game may seem pedestrian, but his 48 percent shooting ranks third-best among the UConn team, while his 42 percent clip from three-point range and 85 percent mark at the free throw line lead both categories. All those numbers, plus the lifetime of winning and impacting success over his years in Storrs, prompted Hurley to lobby for a far greater honor for his senior leader.

“We’ve got a lot of balance,” Hurley prefaced. “But 20 games into the season, nine games in league, he’s been the player of the year in the league because his team hasn’t lost a game (in Big East play) and we’re ranked No. 2 in the country.”