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UConn’s Alex Karaban Had Saddest Line After Huskies' NCAA Tournament Loss to Florida

Blake Silverman

UConn's Karaban speaks to reporters after the NCAA tournament loss to Florida.
UConn's Karaban speaks to reporters after the NCAA tournament loss to Florida. / Screengrab via @MarchMadnessMBB on X/Twitter
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UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban hadn't lost in the NCAA tournament before Sunday. The junior won the national title in both of his first two seasons in Storrs, Conn., a run that came to an end after No. 8-seed UConn tested No. 1 seed Florida Sunday, but fell just short.

The end of a college basketball season is emotional, no matter how much winning you have under your belt. Whether Karaban will come back to Storrs or not is unknown, but he certainly didn't want to leave following the Huskies' tough loss Sunday.

“I don’t want to take this jersey off,” Karaban said through tears postgame via CT Insider's David Borges.

He mentioned it would be tough to not see seniors Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson in the locker room next year, but there's no decision on his own future yet, per Borges.

Karaban received some NBA draft buzz last year, but ultimately decided to return to UConn. He could make the same decision again this year and return for his senior season, or decide now is the best time to make the jump. He scored 14 points along with five rebounds and three assists in the 77-75 loss to Florida Sunday. On the season, he averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game—all bests over his three collegiate seasons.

While Karaban doesn't have much else to prove at the collegiate level, he may not be ready to leave UConn. He certainly wasn't finished after this game, at least.

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Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

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