The fifth-year forward has been named Big East Player of the Week and was also added to the Wooden Award watchlist alongside his teammate, Solo Ball.
STORRS, Conn. — When it comes to winning, few players in the history of men’s college basketball have a resume that compares to that of UConn forward Alex Karaban.
Karaban, a fifth-year senior, is a two-time national champion with 13 career wins in the NCAA Tournament. He started and played a key role in every one of those games.
Last season was difficult for Karaban, who was anticipated to be one of the top players in the country but failed to produce as the Huskies’ go-to option.
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To Karaban’s credit, he chose to return to Storrs for his final season of eligibility, which has been quite a bit different early on, as his decision pays off.
On a much more balanced team, Karaban has been free to play the style of basketball he did for the 2023 and 2024 national championship teams, contributing without being the focal point of opposing defenses.
Through four games this season, Karaban is averaging 18.3 points while shooting an incredible 63.3% from three-point range.
He’s also shooting 90% at the free throw line while hauling in 5.3 rebounds and dishing out 2.3 assists on a nightly basis.
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For his efforts, Karaban is already drawing recognition. On Monday, it was announced that Karaban was named the Big East Player of the Week, following UConn’s wins over Columbia and No. 7 BYU.
During these games, Karaban averaged 20.5 points.
It’s the second time Karaban has received this recognition. He earned Big East Player of the Week last December as well.
Karaban has also been playing significant minutes for the Huskies. He leads the team, playing 31.3 minutes per game, and only left the floor for 57 total seconds in UConn’s classic win over BYU in Boston last Saturday.
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In his time at UConn, Karaban has compiled a 96-22 record and is climbing the program’s leaderboard in a number of categories such as free throw percentage, made three-pointers and all-time scoring.
On Tuesday, Karaban earned another accolade, as he was named to the 2026 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List.
The list was created by experts on the sport to identify the frontrunners for the most prestigious national player of the year award.
Junior Huskies’ guard Solo Ball was also named to the watchlist. Through four games, Ball is averaging 15.8 points per game, as well as 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Last season, Ball emerged as one of the most lethal shooters in college basketball, as he shot 41.4% from downtown.
Dalton Zbierski is a digital content producer and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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