It was the kind of game people circle on the calendar long before conference play even starts. UConn vs. BYU at the iconic TD Garden. Two top-10 teams of the country were meeting on one of the sport’s biggest stages before conference play even began. AJ Dybantsa, a likely lottery pick next year, was back home, and the whole building felt a little louder because of it. Even Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Derrick White showed up to watch the hometown kid. On the other side, Dan Hurley’s UConn side, led by captain Alex Karaban, came in hungry, determined to climb back to the top of college basketball.

As you’d expect, it turned into a game to remember. Right from the start, it was punch for punch, both teams trading buckets and matching energy. But everything shifted when Keba Keita went down with about 8:52 left in the first half. His injury handed UConn the opening they needed, and from there, the Huskies took control. Dybantsa, meanwhile, couldn’t quite find his rhythm early. He finished the first half with just four points on 1-for-6 shooting, and BYU trailed 43–32 heading into the break.

Things obviously changed in the second half. Dybantsa came out firing and went absolutely lights-out, finishing the night with 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He did everything he could to drag BYU back into it, but clawing out of a 20-point hole against a team like UConn is a mountain few can climb. The Huskies kept answering every run, powered by the trio of Alex Karaban, Tarris Reed Jr, and Silas Demary Jr. — all of whom dropped 21 points and ended up winning the game 86-84.

Karaban knocked down all four of his three-point attempts, completely stealing the spotlight and spoiling Dybantsa’s homecoming in the process. Bruce Pearl was quick to tip his hat to the Huskies after the final buzzer, posting, “Big win for UConn. Bigger win for @BIGEASTMBB.”

Bruce Pearl’s former team, Auburn, and UConn may be in two different conferences — with the SEC widely considered the deeper, tougher league right now, especially with Florida winning the national title. But a win like this is huge for the Big East. Last season was rough for the conference, with no team even making the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019.

Just two seasons ago, the Big East looked unstoppable. All three teams in the tournament — UConn, Marquette, and Creighton — made it past the first weekend, and the conference went 22–6 in March Madness over the two years before the 2024–25 season. But last season was different.

All five Big East teams were out by the end of Week 1. UConn and Alex Karaban lost to Florida in the second round. St. John’s made it the farthest but fell to Arkansas in the Elite 8. Creighton lost to Auburn in the second round. Marquette got shocked by New Mexico. And Xavier couldn’t get past Illinois.

But while this match had largely been billed as a homecoming for the five-star freshman from nearby Brockton — it was a homecoming for UConn’s captain, Alex Karaban, too.

Alex Karaban was excited to return home

Karaban, who grew up just 45 minutes down the Mass Pike, definitely had a night to remember. And yes, you could argue he’s no stranger to playing close to home — he’s spent his UConn career playing only about an hour from his place in Southborough, Massachusetts. He even played twice at TD Garden during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, including that 30-point win over San Diego State in the Sweet 16 just two days before the blowout against Illinois. But he was very excited to return home!

“I am a Massachusetts guy at heart,” he told CT Insider. “As much as I love Connecticut, Mass. is always going to be home for me.”

This 2-point win was massive for the Huskies, especially with a month packed with high-level Quad 1 matchups ahead. wo of those will be at Madison Square Garden, two at home, and one on the road at Kansas. Stack a few more wins in this stretch, and UConn will look like a contender again this season!

Karaban chose to withdraw from the NBA Draft this year so he could “chase another national championship with his brothers,” and if the Huskies continue to build on what they’ve shown early in the season, that decision might pay off in a big way. Do you see it happening? Let us know in the comments below!