UConn men’s basketball advances to Sweet 16 after win over UCLA

UConn men’s basketball took down UCLA in their Round of 32 matchup in Philly, 73-57, after a masterclass from Alex Karaban, who posted a career-high 27 points. The 2-seeded Huskies will play Michigan State in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Washington DC.

Karaban was on from the start, finishing 9-for-16 from the field. Braylon Mullins got out of his shooting slump with 17 points. Tarris Reed Jr. followed up his monster first-round performance with 10 points and 13 rebounds. For the Bruins, Xavier Booker led the way with 13 points, and Dailey finished with 12 points. The stifling Huskies’ defense held Trent Perry to just 5 points on 2-for-8 shooting.

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You couldn’t ask for a better game for a Karaban takeover. The captain had the best game of his career. He was more assertive than we’ve seen in the past, nailing triples left and making sure the Huskies responded to any UCLA run.

Jayden Ross also played a crucial role in the victory effort. He was everywhere on the floor, finishing with 11 points and a +/- of +15. His two three-pointers gave the Huskies momentum Sunday night in the first half.

Solo Ball went scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting and was a -10 overall. A majority of his shots were open looks; he just couldn’t get them to fall.

After missing the Furman game, Silas Demary Jr. came off the bench and played 22 minutes, finishing with 2 points and 4 assists. Malachi Smith got his second consecutive start, dishing out six assists and holding it down defensively as the Huskies did a good job against the Bruins’ talented perimeter players. Demary made his return at the 14-minute mark in the first half. Jaylin Stewart was also active Sunday after not playing since Feb. 21.

UConn started out slow, picking up two early turnovers to allow UCLA to hold an early lead. Karaban got UConn on the board with a dunk on a nice pass from Ball. Booker responded on the other end with an alley-oop jam from Dent. Reed attracted attention from Bruin defenders after his…

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Publish date : 2026-03-23 04:42:00

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