NEW YORK – The UConn men's basketball duo of Liam McNeeley and Alex Karaban have both been honored by the BIG EAST this week, the league announced on Monday (Dec. 9). McNeeley has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the second time, while Karaban notched his second weekly honor roll of the year and the 11th of the junior's career.
The Freshman of the Week honor for McNeeley comes after the 6'7 rookie averaging 12.0 points and 8.5 rebounds in a 2-0 week for Connecticut that included potential Quad 1 wins over No. 15 Baylor and at Texas. He started the week off against Baylor on Wednesday by leading the Huskies with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots, electrifying the Gampel Pavilion crowd in the tight win. He followed that up with seven points and grabbed nine rebounds in his home state against Texas on Sunday. Overall this season, he ranks second among BIG EAST freshmen with both 12.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and is top-10 in the league with an 83.8 free throw percentage.
Karaban only appeared at Texas on Sunday but returned the lineup in emphatic fashion. After missing two games since returning from Maui with a head injury, Karaban exploded for his first career double-double to power the Huskies past the Longhorns. The 6'8 wing scored 21 points and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds, stuffing the stat sheet with four assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Overall this season the Preseason All-American is averaging 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.1 percent from 3-point range.
The Huskies return to action for another marquee test on Saturday, facing No. 7 Gonzaga in the Basketball Hall of Fame Series at Madison Square Garden.
Players Mentioned
- F
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
Players Mentioned
- 6' 8"
- Redshirt Sophomore
- F
- 6' 7"
- Freshman
- F
Latest Men's Basketball
- No. 14 Huskies Host Creighton For Gampel White-OutSTORRS – The No. 14 UConn men's basketball team (13-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) is back in action for the first time in a week when it plays host to Creighton (11-6, 4-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday at Gampel Pavilion. Tip-off is set for noon on FOX with Jason Benetti and Donny Marshall on the call.
- Ben Gordon To Join Huskies of Honor On Feb. 7STORRS – The UConn men's basketball team will honor program legend Ben Gordon on Feb. 7 with an official induction in the Huskies of Honor. Gordon will officially take his spot on the wall in Gampel Pavilion at halftime of UConn's Friday night showdown with St. John's.
- Karaban Keys No. 9 Huskies To Road Win At GeorgetownWASHINGTON, D.C. – Alex Karaban led all scorers with 19 points to power the No. 9 UConn men's basketball team (13-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) to a 68-60 victory at Georgetown (12-4, 3-2 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon at Capital One Arena. The Huskies used an explosive start to the second half to go up as many as 23 in their ninth-straight victory over the Hoyas.
- No. 9 Huskies Visit DC To Face Georgetown SaturdayWASHINGTON, D.C. – The No. 9 UConn men's basketball team (12-4, 4-1 BIG EAST) hits the road on Saturday for an afternoon showdown with longtime rival Georgetown (12-3, 3-1 BIG EAST). Tip-off from Capital One Arena is set for 2 p.m. on FOX with Tim Brando and Donny Marshall on the call.
- No. 9 Huskies Drop Tight Affair At VillanovaVILLANOVA, Pa. – The No. 9 UConn men's basketball team (12-4, 4-1 BIG EAST) erased a double-digit second-half deficit for the second-straight game before ultimately falling, 68-66, at Villanova (11-5, 4-1) on Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion. The loss snaps an eight-game winning streak and was UConn's first in five BIG EAST games.
- Karaban Named To Midseason Wooden Award Watch ListLOS ANGELES – UConn men's basketball standout Alex Karaban has been named to the 2024-25 Men's Midseason Top 25 Watch List for the John R. Wooden Award, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Tuesday (Jan. 7).
