College basketball fans reacted angrily to UConn forward Alex Karaban, who choked in the endgame of the Huskies game against Villanova on Wednesday night at the Finneran Pavilion.
With the Wildcats up 67-66 with three seconds remaining, Karaban was fouled by Jordan Longino to be sent to the free-throw line. The 6-foot-8 junior, who never missed back-to-back free throws in his collegiate career, fluffed both freebies that could've given them the victory.
The missed foul shots allowed Villanova to secure another possession. Wooga Poplar was fouled and split his charities, giving the Wildcats a two-point lead they preserved until the final buzzer.
Fans, especially UConn diehards, didn't let Karaban's misses pass, chastising the forward on social media. One even claimed that the forward cost him some fortune on the night.
"ALEX KARABAN screwing my bank account one free throw at a time hope the payoff was worth screwing your teammates over f*** head," the fan wrote on X.
A college hoops fan put up a photo of Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller doing a choke sign, signifying how Karaban was at the foul line against Villanova.
Others let their anger loose and blamed UConn's loss solely on the forward.
"Alex Karaban should be ashamed in himself after tonight’s performance. Bro really missed the game winning free throws shooting 4-10 from the field and 0-2 from the line is crazy," one said.
"Alex Karaban, YOU are f***ing ass🫵🏽," another added.
"I jjust watched Alex karaban sell the UConn huskies of a win so I haven’t been watching," a hoops enthusiast wrote.
"F*** you Alex Karaban," another opined.
Some fans understood the possible pressure Alex Karaban faced during that moment. One wished the loss to be a stepping stone for the team in the coming games.
"Captain Karaban not completing the comeback was a heartbreaker. Gotta learn from this and win more," the X user wrote.
"Tough, sorry AK, we needed you, and you didn’t deliver, but we still need you, and he’ll deliver like has done the last 2 Aprils," one fan added, remembering Karaban's heroics in the previous national championship games.
"Head up AK, you will come back stronger. 🐺🐺🐺🐺 nation is with you," a UConn follower said.
Villanova shocks UConn, flings Big East Conference race wide open
Villanova shocked No. 9-ranked UConn 68-66 on Wednesday night, making the Big East Conference race wide open. Eric Dixon waxed hot in the second half, scoring 18 of 23 points to help the Wildcats hold off the Huskies' second-half rally to preserve the win.
Wooga Poplar added 18 points, which included a free throw that gave Villanova a two-point advantage. The Wildcats, who led by as much as 12 points in the second half, improved to 4-1 in the Big East and 11-5 overall.
The Kyle Neptune-coached squad handed the first Big East loss to UConn, who had its eight-game winning streak broken. The Huskies are now 12-4 on the season.
Solo Ball led UConn's offense with 16 points, while Jaylin Stewart added 14 for the Dan Hurley-coached team, who played without five-star freshman Liam McNeeley (foot).
Marquette (14-2) leads the Big East race at 5-0, while Villanova and UConn are tied with St. John's (13-3) in second place in the conference, at 4-1. The Huskies return to action on Saturday against Georgetown (12-3, 3-1 in Big East).
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