RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 21: Alex Karaban #11 of the Connecticut Huskies dribbles the ball while defended by Brycen Goodine #2 of the Oklahoma Sooners during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Lenovo Center on March 21, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
UConn's improbable bid for a third straight national title continued when Alex Karaban came through with a critical 3-pointer and a floater in the lane during a late run that helped the Huskies hold off Oklahoma 67-59 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Karaban had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Huskies (24-10), the No. 8 in seed in the West Region who extended their March Madness winning streak to 13 games, tied with Duke from 1991-93 for the second-longest without missing a tournament.
Karaban's 3 on the catch from the right wing at the 3:40 mark gave UConn a four-point lead, and he followed with the floater at the 2:18 mark that pushed UConn ahead 64-58.
Solo Ball scored 14 points to help coach Dan Hurley's Huskies advance to face top region seed Florida, a popular pick both to end UConn's run and win the national title.
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Freshman Jeremiah Fears had 20 points to lead the ninth-seeded Sooners (20-14), who shot 32.1% and made 3 of 17 3-pointers. Oklahoma managed just one field goal over the last 6 minutes.
Takeaways
Oklahoma: The Sooners were part of the Southeastern Conference's record haul of 14 NCAA bids, though they were one of six SEC teams with a losing league record to get in. They went 7-14 after December.
Dog House
UConn: The Huskies stand alongside Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) as the only teams to win back-to-back titles since UCLA's run of seven straight from 1967-73. While they haven't looked like a national title contender since they lost three straight games in Maui in November, they're still alive for a three-peat after a tough offensive night that included freshman Liam McNeeley missing 11 of 13 shots.
Up next
The Huskies face the Gators on Sunday.
