What happened to Alex Karaban? Why is UConn star set to miss crucial matchup vs Baylor?

Alex Karaban won't be available for tomorrow's matchup between the No. 25 UConn Huskies and No. 15 Baylor Bears. And it's because of an injury he suffered last week.

During the Huskies' 85-67 loss to the Dayton Fliers in the seventh-place game of the Maui Invitational, Karaban suffered a head injury late in the contest. He missed the team's recent game against Maryland-Eastern Shore, but coach Dan Hurley provided an update on his status at the time.

“Alex is pretty good. It was a pretty mild concussion. Everyone treated it as we should, with a lot of caution. Alex was able to travel back with us. All of his tests were really clean, and he is feeling a lot better," Hurley said.

However, Hurley confirmed that Karaban will be absent from the Baylor game with him still going through the process of concussion protocol.

“[He’s] still not feeling quite himself. [He feels] better today but not well enough to get out of that… protocol. Not sure about the weekend,” he said.

Why Alex Karaban has been impactful for UConn

With Alex Karaban temporalily sidelined due to the concussion, No. 25 UConn will need their players to step up after going 1-3 in their last four games.

Karaban has been the Huskies' leading scorer throughout the season. In seven games, he averaged 15.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and two blocks on 50.7% shooting from the field and 46.8% from beyond the arc. He is the only Husky averaging over 15 points per contest.

Beating Baylor would require the likes of Solo Ball, Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr. to produce offensively. Ball has been putting up 12.8 points on 45.5% shooting from downtown, McNeeley is averaging 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds, and Reed Jr. leads in rebounds with nine boards per contest while scoring 11.1 points on 77.3% shooting inside the arc.

Alex Karaban will have a chance to return when No. 25 UConn plays Texas at the Moody Center on Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. ET.