It’s only December and UConn has already experienced a rollercoaster of emotions in the season so far. Aiming for a third consecutive trophy, Dan Hurley’s squad has been put through the wringer with the coach himself, attracting attention for his sideline antics. But putting Maui behind them now, the Huskies are finally winning again. Alex Karaban is back from injury to prime form, but one analyst thinks it’s one of his sophomore teammates who deserves the praise more.

On the latest episode of The Field of 68: After Dark, former player Terrence Oglesby talks about the chances of Hurley’s squad making it to another championship. “I think getting all the way to the national championship is possible, I don’t know that it’s probable…Alex Karaban was great in the first half today.” Talking about defense, Oglesby then suggests Maui might not have been the best place for UConn to go given the way Hurley blew up at his team’s losses.

“They shouldn’t have gone to Maui they should have gone to Texas for vacation because then Hurley would have been a lot happier.” It was not the first criticism of its kind that Hurley has faced for his coaching or his actions on the sideline whenever something is not going the Huskies’ way. But he knows how to coach a team and no one disagrees there.

A little later in the podcast, he then refers to not Karaban, who finished with a team-high 21 points and a team-high 11 rebounds against the Texas Longhorns yesterday, but UConn sophomore Solo Ball as the most impressive, who had four 3-pointers and finished with 16 points on Sunday.

Karaban missed the last two games recovering from a mild concussion incurred at the Maui Invitational but safe to say, he was his usual dominant presence yesterday. And yet, “The guy that I have been really impressed with because I didn’t see it coming – Solo Ball. Whenever I saw him play in high school, I thought, big athlete, super long arms capable of doing anything on the floor.”

Oglesby points out how despite being “muscle-bound”, the Huskies sophomore is “spotlighting the point guard, shooting almost 46% to the three and it’s not like on 10 points. The dude’s getting rocks up and he’s knocking down shots. He has really stepped forward, it’s like he had to wait and learn behind Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer and then he’s come in and he’s really taking advantage of his opportunity. Like, kid is talented and gives them another threat on the perimeter.”

Where Ball has been instrumental to the Huskies, so has Liam McNeely. Both helped UConn win against Baylor and Maryland South Eastern Shore in Karaban’s absence in these last two games. These wins were especially needed because of the three straight losses in Maui.

But for the oft-criticized Hurley, while his young team has potential, the head coach is still happy to have the one returning veteran from last year back.

“Alex [Karaban] is greatly needed”: Dan Hurley

It helps to have one talented player stand out on a team of already skilled guys; it even helps to have two or three of them. But the fact that basketball is not a game of one or two but five people on the court means everyone needs to pull their weight equally. Where Solo Ball and Liam McNeely, as well as Samson Johnson and Tarris Reed Jr., stood out on Sunday’s game against Texas, Dan Hurley was still relieved to have Alex Karaban back.

After the last game against No. 15 Baylor, the coach said, “Having Alex back, we need him for us to be successful. Alex got to lead the team, he’s got to take pressure off Liam, he’s got to take pressure off Solo, he’s got to take pressure off of some of these other guys.”

“His production, his communication, his level of play — I mean, that should all have a positive effect … we’re going to have a fair number of younger guys in there, so Alex is greatly needed.”

And with their first true road win in the very next game, Dan Hurley revealed he was “thrilled”, especially because it was a well-coached team like Texas. Although it has not been the easy ride to the top the team would want, the Huskies will now look to improve their 7-3 record and ultimately gun for the NCAA championship trophy.