The clock had just struck midnight in Manhattan. Big East Tournament Quarterfinal Thursday turned to Friday, and the No. 3-seeded UConn Huskies found themselves locked in a tight battle with sixth-seeded Villanova with a spot in the semifinal round on the line.
That’s when UConn’s leader, Alex Karaban, took over.
The big stage is nothing new for Karaban, a guy whose winning percentage would rival almost anybody in Storrs. The junior forward drained a straightaway triple with 6:18 remaining in the game to give Connecticut separation in what had been a nip-and-tuck battle.
Minutes later, just when it appeared the Wildcats could perhaps put one more surge together, Karaban buried a dagger 3 with less than four minutes to go to say goodnight to Villanova, and good…
