UConn basketball’s Alex Karaban taken to hospital with head injury

The UConn basketball program wrapped up a nightmare week at the Maui Invitational with an 85-67 loss to Dayton, and to make matters worse, Alex Karaban suffered a head injury and was sent for a CAT scan after the game.

“We can’t predict what the (CAT) scan will be, but we anticipate it being normal,” team doctor Robert Arciero said, via Joe Arruda of the Hartford Courant. “Looks pretty good.”

If UConn basketball wants to turn things around, Alex Karaban will be a big part of it. Karaban has been an important starter for the Huskies each of the last two years, and was a big reason why they won the national championship in those years. He decided to forego the NBA Draft this past offseason to try to not only maximize his draft stock, but potentially go for a third championship win. Obviously, the Huskies do not look like that type of team so far this season, and if they want to rebound, they will have to get Karaban back healthy very soon.

Can UConn basketball rebound after nightmare week at the Maui Invitational

For UConn to feel good about even making the NCAA Tournament at this point, the Huskies will have to get some wins in the upcoming weeks before Big East play starts. Up next is Maryland Eastern Shore, a team that the Huskies should handle. Then, it is a tough test at home against Baylor. If the Huskies end up beating Baylor, then Maui could potentially be looked at as a blip. Then there are games on the road against Texas and against Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden before Big East play opens with Xavier.

If the Huskies win two of the three against Baylor, Texas and Gonzaga, that might be a sign that they are righting the ship. However, there are some big concerns with how the team has performed overall. UConn has a good offense and should continue to have one throughout the season, but the defensive end of the floor is where the real concerns are.

When looking at UConn’s roster, they simply do not have the defensive players they have had the past two years, especially when comparing to last year’s roster. Donovan Clingan essentially shut down the paint against nearly everyone he played, which is why he went so high in the NBA Draft. Stephon Castle was a great defender as well in part due to his size. The Huskies do not have a guard or center capable of defending like those two.

It will be a tall task for Dan Hurley to fix these issues, but it would be unwise to completely count the Huskies out when it comes to some kind of resurgence. Hopefully they get some good news with Karaban soon.