AJ Dybantsa’s homecoming upstaged as Karaban crafts yet another special night in his same familiar territory

Alex Karaban scored 21 points and made all four of his 3-point attempts as Massachusetts’ other native son stole the home stage from BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. (Photo by UConn Men’s Basketball)

BOSTON — Aside from a battle of two Top 10 teams, much of the hype surrounding Saturday’s encounter between UConn and BYU centered around the homecoming for AJ Dybantsa, the Cougars’ top-rated freshman in the 2025 recruiting class and potential first overall pick in next June’s NBA Draft.

While Dybantsa, who grew up a half-hour south of TD Garden in neighboring Brockton, was feted as a returning native son, another Bay Stater revisited Beantown for the final time in his college career.

Alex Karaban, who also came of age a 30-minute drive from the home of the Boston Celtics, albeit to the west in Southborough, converged upon a familiar haunt for the third time as a Connecticut Husky. In typical Karaban fashion, his appearance did not generate the same attention. Whether partly because UConn is already in close proximity to the Boston media market or not, the fifth-year senior was unfazed by the subplot.

“I didn’t really care that much,” Karaban admitted after UConn defeated BYU, 86-84. “AJ deserved it, he’s one hell of a player. What he’s done for Boston and seeing how much he’s grown up, he deserves a homecoming too. But I haven’t really paid attention to it. I was just more focused on my game.”

In truth, both local products had their shining moments Saturday. Dybantsa scored 21 of his 25 points in a second half that saw BYU nearly come back from a 20-point deficit in a flurry of late threes and aggressive driving to draw fouls, but Karaban authored one of his finer moments in the shadows. Scoring 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, the two-time national champion connected on all four of his long distance attempts, including a deep triple from just off the center of the key beyond NBA range that harkened back to several big shots he has hit countless times in his career.

That particular three was yet another indelible UConn moment for Karaban, whose last experience in Boston included a rim-rocking dunk that has become one of the more recognizable images of the Huskies’ epic 30-0 run against Illinois in the East Regional final 20 months ago, an explosion that sent UConn back to the Final Four and ultimately to a second consecutive national title. Karaban was his usual humble self when asked about the significance of coming back one more time, amid the larger-scale return of Dybantsa, praising his teammates and the largely partisan UConn crowd for an atmosphere befitting of the occasion.

“Some of my favorite games in my UConn career were the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games two years ago when we played here,” he recalled. “So just being blessed to have the opportunity to come back here and play with another UConn squad was awesome. I loved every second of it. Just seeing it, warming up, just getting ready for the game, it’s just a huge blessing and I loved it.”

One of college basketball’s greatest winners this century did take a moment to admit he looked ahead to this particular contest after it was over, basking in the satisfaction of a win, but also allowing his steely facade to be pulled down momentarily by its backdrop.

“I loved it,” he reiterated. “I definitely had this game circled when I saw it on the schedule. It was special.”