Alex Karaban closed out his Senior Day with a performance to remember. The veteran guard poured in 23 points on highly efficient shooting, connecting on five of six shots from beyond the arc and finishing 8-for-11 overall. He never came off the court and contributed two steals and two blocks in UConn's 71-67 win over Seton Hall on Saturday.

Before the game, however, emotions ran high at Gampel Pavilion. Karaban, joined by his family, became overwhelmed with emotion during the ceremony. When he reached UConn head coach Dan Hurley, tears streamed down his face, a moment that visibly affected the typically fiery coach.

“To see him crying like a baby coming out, I just lost it right there when I saw it,” said Hurley after the game. “He's one of the greatest players that's worn the uniform. There's players that have gone on from here and had careers in the NBA, and there's a lot of them, but when they were in the uniform, who's done more than this guy? Who's done more while they wore the uniform than this guy? Because in sports it all comes down to, ‘Did you win for your organization? Did you win championships? Did you win games?'

“And that's why I think he's one of the greatest players to put the uniform on.”

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The No. 6 Huskies improved to 27-3 overall and 17-2 in the Big East, keeping regular-season title hopes alive. Karaban, the program's all-time winningest player, closed his home career with a 60-6 record in Storrs. He became the 25th men’s player inducted into the Huskies of Honor and the first to receive the distinction while still active. His banner — “11 Alex Karaban 2022-2026” — now hangs in the arena.

Against a Seton Hall team ranked among the nation's top 10 defenses and leading the Big East, Karaban scored 15 of UConn's 32 first-half points on 6-for-8 shooting, moving past Christian Vital into 10th on the program's all-time scoring list.

After redshirting in 2021–22, Karaban played important minutes on the 2022–23 national championship team before taking on a bigger role during the 2023–24 title defense. Following a challenging 2024–25 campaign, he returned strong in his final season, performing at a championship-caliber level. He's made a habit of showing up in the biggest moments of March Madness, from hitting halftime buzzer-beaters in the 2023 Elite Eight against the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Final Four against the Miami Hurricanes, to draining a clutch three last March against the Marquette Golden Eagles.