That Fast Break Play. Yes, That one.

[RedStickHusky]

Yes, that was real good. Double bonus because Harlan and Bonner had prompted Van Gundy a couple of times of how do you cover the shooters and still defend Sanogo and Van Gundy said he wasn't so sure how good Sanogo is passing out of double and triple teams while he is dribbling.

Arkansas had nothing on any defensive strategy which worked. Demoralizing offensive performance.

Those "oh shoot, the tree beat me down the court" moments we're kind of funny.

 

[RedStickHusky]

That particular break reminded me of Calhoun's guys.. Esp when Nadav or Doron were quarterbacking the break.. Defense doesn't have a chance when you've got that type of speed and precision and athleticism on the wings..

Karaban's vision and passing has really gone to another level this year as the season has progressed... A part of his game that really helps this team.. Not too many 4's that have his playmaking abilities

It's been more than a minute since any opponent made money running ISO's at AK as well. His D has gone from liability to asset.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I love how AJ turns and heads back on defense while his pass is still in the air.

An ice cold killer.

And Clingan is ON HIS TOES sprinting back before Arkansas has even retrieved the ball from the hoop.

 

[AdamaNation]

Which is how every press break should look. Dribbling through a press is fine for a guy with Iverson level ball handling, but it's still less effective. All summer this place was "where are the ball handlers?!". Our ball handlers are fine, but the offense is intended to function on motion and passing, not ISO breakdowns. It's why we have so many assists. We're about as close to the Golden State Warriors as college basketball gets.

Us be KSTate would show the difference

 

[Chin Diesel]

Karaban’s BBIQ is tremendous. After making sure he had secured the board, he IMMEDIATELY looked up for that pass. It’s really easy to forget he’s a freshman a lot of times.

When I first read this I read it as "Korean BBQ is tremendous". And that is also a true statement.
Karaban BBIQ and Korean BBQ are equally tremendous.

 

[SubbaBub]

1995 says hello there.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

When I first read this I read it as "Korean BBQ is tremendous". And that is also a true statement.
Karaban BBIQ and Korean BBQ are equally tremendous.

Now I want Korean BBQ.

 

[UChusky916]

Karaban was about as close to flawless as you could have hoped for last night from a freshman in a huge game:

• 5/5 from the field
• 1/1 FTs
• 7 Rebs
• 2 steals
• 1 assist
• That beautiful long pass "hockey assist" that won't show in the box score
• Tremendous defense all night against a physical team

As others have said, Alex has improved so much, especially defensively. He's no longer a liability that teams can try to exploit.

Honestly, his game has no glaring weaknesses. He can defend well, hits the 3, handles the ball well, and last night he had a few really nice drives to the hoop and in transition.

Add to all of that his tremendous BBIQ and court demeanor. The kid is cool as a cucumber out there and always in control.
Nothing rattles him.

You can tell he works so hard on his game, as noted by Hurley and his teammates, and it's paying off in a big way.

 

[OkaForPrez]

We all had a feeling he had a good mind for the port coming in, but you gotta figure having come here last spring sped up his trajectory. He doesn’t make many, if any freshman mistakes. He’s been a starter since day 1 and has often had the most difficult defensive assignment. That takes a ton of respect/trust from the coaching staff. Most times, you have to be a blue chip recruit to get that treatment.

Alex Karaban - UConn head coach 2043.

 

[BGesus4]

I can’t exactly put my finger on why, but I see some Jaime jaquez in Karaban’s game. Jaquez obviously has more ball handling and mid range and ak more of a 3pt sniper. They both play with amazing awareness that allowed them to make a huge impact without great athleticism.

 

[Husky25]

So many morsels of goodness wrapped in to 5 seconds.

First off Karaban getting the rebound and looking ahead. The dark days would have a UConn player grab a rebound, stand there and wait to hand off to a guard. Not any more.

Secondly, Karaban being aware there was no obvious outlet nearby so he looks ahead. His vision and, more importantly, his ability to thread a 40' pass over several defenders and hitting Jax in stride was a special, dare I say, Nadav level play.

Next up you have Jackson catching in stride and turning Karaban's pass in to a pillowy soft lob perfectly arced at the rim all in one step.

And then you have Clingan sprinting past everyone and rim running. Twelve months ago there was plenty of conversation on this board if Clingan, as a freshman, would be fast enough to play high level ball. The conditioning he and the staff have done has paid off so many times. Clingan gets the flush. The announcers noted a few more times how Clingan sprinting back on D stopped Arkansas fast breaks and made the Hogs turn away from the hoop.

There isn't a coach in the country who can game plan against those types of plays. Jimmy and Joes FTW.

Because we are Tomahawk "paisan" from Algonquin, I feel justified in saying that Karaban's baseball pass form is Uncle Rico-esque. The only difference is the steak.

 

[Waquoit]

I heard and read folks mention before the game that Clingan "doesn't move well". That play was crazy good.

 

[Mike Honcho]

But that assist by Adama was so pretty, so unexpected and showed such a high level of basketball skill, court awareness and communication between teammates. So good.

He made that same play against Providence in the BET. Super heady.

 

[karstenkibbe]

I know he can be a bit over-the-top on his NFL and college play-by-play, but I just love listening to Kevin Harlan call a game. Big bonus having such knowledgeable guys in Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy providing color.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I know he can be a bit over-the-top on his NFL and college play-by-play, but I just love listening to Kevin Harlan call a game. Big bonus having such knowledgeable guys in Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy providing color.

Loved Van Gundy when he said he still doesn't understand the continuation rule in college.

 

[HuskyHawk]

When I first read this I read it as "Korean BBQ is tremendous". And that is also a true statement.
Karaban BBIQ and Korean BBQ are equally tremendous.

Now I want Korean BBQ.

I think we've found Karaban's NIL opportunity.

 

[superjohn]

I know he can be a bit over-the-top on his NFL and college play-by-play, but I just love listening to Kevin Harlan call a game. Big bonus having such knowledgeable guys in Dan Bonner and Stan Van Gundy providing color.

Harlan is the best.

 

[Dean Wormer]

When I first read this I read it as "Korean BBQ is tremendous". And that is also a true statement.
Karaban BBIQ and Korean BBQ are equally tremendous.

Nickname alert: Alex "K Barbeque" Karaban.

 

[RichZ]

Karaban was about as close to flawless as you could have hoped for last night from a freshman in a huge game:

• 5/5 from the field
• 1/1 FTs
• 7 Rebs
• 2 steals
• 1 assist
• That beautiful long pass "hockey assist" that won't show in the box score
• Tremendous defense all night against a physical team

As others have said, Alex has improved so much, especially defensively. He's no longer a liability that teams can try to exploit.

Honestly, his game has no glaring weaknesses. He can defend well, hits the 3, handles the ball well, and last night he had a few really nice drives to the hoop and in transition.

Add to all of that his tremendous BBIQ and court demeanor. The kid is cool as a cucumber out there and always in control.
Nothing rattles him.

You can tell he works so hard on his game, as noted by Hurley and his teammates, and it's paying off in a big way.

It's not in his nature to seek glory or stardom. Just to do what he has to to win games.