PHILADELPHIA — It’s 10:45 p.m. local time Sunday and Xfinity Mobile Arena just woke up.
Seconds earlier, 6-foot-8 UConn senior Alex Karaban buried a 3-pointer from the left wing, gestured to the crowd to make some noise and let out a loud, “Come on!”
The shot gave the second-seeded Huskies a 51-44 lead over seventh-seeded UCLA at the 12:06 mark of the second half, prompting Bruins coach Mick Cronin to call a timeout. UConn carried that momentum the rest of the way, cruising to an emphatic 73-57 victory in the East Region to set up a meeting with third-seeded Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen on Friday.
As time was winding down on the win, a courtside fan heading for the exits tried to get the attention of Karaban.
“Alex! Alex! Alex!” hollered Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond, a former one-and-done star for the Huskies in 2011-12. Drummond wanted to show Karaban some love after the current UConn captain put the program on his back against the Bruins, finishing with a career-high 27 points and 5 rebounds.
“I definitely don’t want my career to end. I’m doing everything in my power to help lead this team to make sure we get the win,” Karaban said in his postgame news conference.
“This man’s greatness and what he’s done in college basketball for four years, literally (every) outlet should be doing a story on this man and his career in college,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “No one’s been better in college sports the last four years in terms of being a winner.”
Despite Karaban and UConn’s winning pedigree, UCLA was a popular pick to pull the upset. The Bruins entered the night as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won seven of their past nine games, including victories over Illinois, Nebraska and Michigan State (three programs that, at tipoff, already had advanced to the Sweet Sixteen). And the Huskies, who lost to Marquette and were blown out by St. John’s down the stretch of the season, were viewed by many as unreliable. Shaky. Not true contenders.
“I saw and I was kind of pissed. I’m like, ‘Why is everybody picking UCLA to beat us?’” 6-foot-2 senior guard Malachi Smith told Hoops HQ. “But I already knew we were going to win, in the most humble way. I just know how we can get when we play our best.”
“This whole year, people doubted us — through our highs, through our lows,” said 6-foot-11 senior center Tarris Reed Jr., who registered another double-double (10 points, 13 rebounds) after putting up 31 points and 27 rebounds in UConn’s win over No. 15 seed Furman on Friday. “We lost to St. John’s and people thought we were going to lose in the first round. I feel like focusing on the scheme, focusing on the system that we built, the UConn culture, and letting it really just take over when times get tough in the game.”
What is it that gives the Huskies so much confidence, even when the outside noise swells?
“I think of a quote from ‘Atomic Habits’ (a 2018 bestseller about building good habits): ‘You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems,’” Reed told Hoops HQ. “And the system we built at UConn is so strong and so dangerous. The standard is set so high.”
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Sunday’s game was a battle of two programs — and two coaches — with incredibly high standards. Many eyes were glued to the sidelines, anticipating fireworks from the fiery Hurley and Cronin. With just under five minutes remaining and the game slipping away, Cronin was assessed a technical foul after clapping his hands and appearing to say something to a referee. Per a statement from the officiating crew, the technical was issued pursuant to Rule 10, Section 3, Article 2, which reads: “Bench personnel committing an unsportsmanlike act including, but not limited to, the following: ‘Disrespectfully addressing an official.’” The rule also says, “Objecting to an official’s decision by rising from the bench or using gestures.”
Cronin would not comment on the tech afterward. He did, however, praise the showing by the Huskies, who held UCLA to just 24 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the second half and dominated the glass (36-24). The Bruins were without their leading scorer — 6-foot-9 senior forward Tyler Bilodeau (knee injury) — and it showed.
“I thought the bottom line was it’s five-on-five and they played harder than us,” Cronin said. “Their defense was better than our offense, and I take responsibility for that. Got to have your guys ready for the opponent and what the opponent’s going to bring to the table. Not just with what they run offensively, but what they do defensively. And their physicality defensively was the difference in the game.”
Hurley gave a lot of credit to Smith and 6-foot-4 junior guard Silas Demary Jr., who returned to action after missing the Huskies’ first-round game with an ankle injury, for their defensive efforts. On the other end, 6-foot-6 freshman guard Braylon Mullins was a consistent threat (17 points) and 6-foot-7 junior forward Jayden Ross provided a huge boost (11 points). And of course, Karaban stepped up big time. “He’s our captain. We’re going to follow him,” Smith told Hoops HQ. “We can always trust him.”
It was an all-around performance by the Huskies, one that should put to bed all skepticism about this team and its chances of getting back to the Final Four. UCLA might have been shorthanded, but this still was a statement win.
“To really get this done just showed how much we’re capable of,” Reed told Hoops HQ. “This is my first Sweet Sixteen. I dreamed of this as a kid. … It’s really a blessing, man. We’re in the Sweet Sixteen. And we’re just ready for the next game.”
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