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
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