UConn's Alex Karaban Desperately Wants to Conquer One Court
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For all the banners, rings and accolades that define UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban’s career, one building continues to stand apart. The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., remains the lone road venue where his otherwise decorated time at UConn has come up empty.
As the third-ranked Huskiesprepare to face Seton Hall Pirates, Karaban enters with a résumé few players can match and one remaining item he badly wants to cross off. This game is not about chasing legacy. It is about finishing it.
A Final Box Left Unchecked
Karaban’s career arc reads like a program highlight reel. He owns two national championship rings, an All-American season and the captain’s role as a redshirt senior.
He started as a freshman on a title team, returned as a sophomore to help UConn repeat and chose to come back instead of turning pro, chasing a potential third championship. Yet despite all that success, one fact lingers. He has never walked off the court at the Prudential Center with a win.
The moment is not lost on him. “It’s something I want to get on the checklist of my career,” Karaban said, acknowledging the rare gap in an otherwise complete journey. Head coach Dan Hurley put it simply when asked about his senior forward’s achievements. “Alex has got a heck of a checklist.”
Alex Karaban has won 2 national titles, but never beaten @SetonHallMBB in Newark.
— David Borges (@DaveBorges) January 12, 2026
"It's something I want to get on the checklist of my career," he said Saturday.
And, as Dan Hurley noted, "Alex has got a heck of a checklist."https://t.co/A7Yy6Ddu8z
UConn’s struggles in Newark extend beyond one player. The program has not beaten Seton Hall on that floor since the 2021 season, when attendance was limited by COVID restrictions. The last victory there in front of a full crowd came in 2013, before UConn’s temporary exit from the Big East.
Losses have arrived in every form imaginable — overtime heartbreak, last-second shots and double-digit defeats — even during championship seasons. Karaban, however, represents the most striking contrast. Few players in school history have won as much, yet this one court continues to resist him.
History, Stakes and What Comes Next
This matchup carries weight well beyond rankings. Seton Hall enters ranked for the first time in four years after a dramatic turnaround under head coach Shaheen Holloway.
The Pirates sit near the top of the Big East standings and boast an 8–1 home record at the Prudential Center, a venue where UConn’s frustrations have piled up regardless of roster or momentum.
Karaban’s timing adds urgency. As a redshirt senior, this is likely his final regular-season appearance at the arena before a possible NBA draft declaration.
Over his last 10 games, he has averaged 14.0 points while shooting 49.4 percent, anchoring a UConn group riding a 12-game winning streak and a perfect conference mark. The Huskies also bring size and defensive consistency that could test Seton Hall’s physical perimeter attack.
The history between these teams is layered. Hurley has lost there both on the bench and while sidelined at home. Different Seton Hall coaches, including Holloway, have overseen wins.
Individual performances, from Kadary Richmond’s explosive scoring to late-game daggers by KC Ndefo and Scotty Middleton, have all fed the narrative. Hurley downplayed the baggage, saying the current roster is largely new. Karaban is the exception.
He has already logged 128 games in a UConn uniform. With 108 wins, he trails the program record by seven and is nine starts shy of Jake Voskuhl’s mark.
He is also positioned to surpass Shabazz Napier’s games-played record of 143. Numbers continue to stack up. One road win in Newark would not change his standing in school history. It would simply complete it.
Aman Sharma is a sports writer who covers college, professional football, and basketball with an eye for detail and storytelling. With over two years of experience writing for outlets like The Sporting News, Pro Football & Sports Network, Sportskeeda, and College Football Network, he’s covered from the NFL and NBA to the NCAA and breakout athletes with a fan’s instinct and depth. Off the field, Aman is a gym and badminton enthusiast.