UConn holds off Oklahoma 67-59, advances in NCAA Tournament

Photo : AP

UConn kept its dream of winning a third straight national title alive by beating Oklahoma 67-59 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The game was very close, but Alex Karaban made a big three-point shot and an important floater in the last minutes to help the Huskies win.

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UConn had a tough season and even dropped out of the Top 25 rankings. But coach Dan Hurley said his team is still strong. “Someone will have to beat us to make us go home,” he said, showing his belief in his players.

Karaban played a key role in UConn’s win, scoring 13 points and grabbing seven rebounds. His performance helped the team extend its March Madness winning streak to 13 games, tying a record with Duke from 1991-93.

With just three minutes and 40 seconds left, Karaban caught a pass and made a three-pointer, giving UConn a four-point lead. A few moments later, he scored a floater in the lane, putting UConn ahead 64-58 and securing the victory.

Solo Ball scored 14 points for the Huskies, who will now play Florida, the top-seeded team in the region. Many people think Florida could win the championship, making UConn’s next game even harder.

For Oklahoma, Jeremiah Fears led his team with 20 points, but the Sooners struggled to shoot well. They made only 32.1% of their shots and 3 out of 17 three-point attempts.

“I am very proud of how hard my players worked, especially on defense,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said. Even with their strong defense, the Sooners found it hard to score when it mattered most.

With six minutes left, Jalon Moore scored a layup to tie the game at 54-54. But after that, Oklahoma could only make one more basket, as UConn’s defense got even stronger.

Coach Moser said his players had many chances to score but found it hard to shoot over UConn’s tall players. “We had some tough plays at the end. We tried to get through their big guys, but it was not easy,” he said.

One big problem for Oklahoma was missing easy shots. The Sooners made just 12 out of 27 layups (44.4%), which hurt their chances of winning.

With this win, UConn moves closer to making history. Only Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) have won back-to-back national titles in recent years. UConn hasn’t always looked like a top team this season, but they are still in the race to win a third straight championship.

Karaban later said he hesitated earlier in the game when he had a chance to take a three-point shot, but he did not make the same mistake twice. “I should have taken that shot before, so I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” he said.