UConn freshman Liam McNeeley drops 1-word reaction for Alex Karaban’s competitive caption

The 11th-ranked UConn Huskies went into the holiday break on a high note with a 78-74 win against the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday. With that victory, they continued their tear, going on a six-game winning streak after losing all three of their games in this year's iteration of the Maui Invitational.

With their recent string of success, it can be seen that the new batch of Huskies are getting along with their veterans. A testament to this is when freshman Liam McNeeley had a clever comment on third-year forward Alex Karaban's most recent Instagram post that he captioned with a strong statement.

"You and Yours vs Me and Mine," Karaban wrote along with a wolf emoji and a blue heart.

McNeeley responded with:

"Karaboom."

"Karaboom," McNeeley wrote on the post.

McNeeley was later a part of the post with a photo of him and Karaban celebrating. The witty reaction has since generated a multitude of likes in just a short amount of time, with even one user following it up with his own comment:

"Karabang."

"Karabang," a fan later responded.

Perhaps, with his recent play, this could be Karaban's new nickname as it fits timely with his ability to knock down long-range shots. In the 2024-2025 season, he's been averaging a career-high 3-point percentage of 42.1%.

In the victory against Butler, the junior made four out of nine 3-balls that chipped into this 21-point total. Karaban added six rebounds and two stocks (steals and blocks).

Meanwhile, Ian McNeeley has been one of the standout rookies this season, and his potential was on full display against the Bulldogs. The Richardson, Texas native finished with 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists — showcasing his point forward ability.

UConn (10-3, 2-0 Big East) will begin the heart of Big East play as it visits the DePaul Blue Demons (8-4, 0-2) on the first day of 2025 in the hopes of getting their 11th win.

Liam McNeeley and Alex Karaban are two UConn standouts this year

With Alex Karaban earning the Big East Player of the Week nod alongside Liam McNeeley as the Big East Freshman of the Week right before Christmas day, it's clear that the duo is steadily leading the charge for the Dan Hurley-coached squad.

After all, for his third collegiate stint, Karaban is averaging 16.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 blocks per contest. On the other hand, in just his first year, McNeeley is already posting 13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 2.6 apg in what looks to be strong campaigns from both.