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March Madness: Check out these Metrowest connections to the NCAA basketball tournament

Kyle Grabowski, The MetroWest Daily News
·3 min read

Selection Sunday has come and passed.

With no men's teams from Massachusetts in the field and Holy Cross carrying the torch for the Commonwealth on the women's side, it can be difficult to find a team to back that isn't one's alma mater. But these athletes have a connection to the MetroWest and Milford area. They either grew up or played their high school basketball here.

Learn more about our local connections to the NCAA Tournament:

Lauren Beach, Fairfield

The Medway High alum is part of the hottest team in the country, men or women. The Stags have won 29 games in a row and swept the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference en route to a victory over Niagara in the conference championship game to earn an automatic bid. Fairfield (31-1) is the No. 13 seed in the Albany 1 region and will face No. 4 Indiana (24-5) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Bloomington (ESPN2). Beach has appeared in 29 games and started five, averaging 2.8 points per game in 14.7 minutes per contest.

Commitment: Stags find their Beach

Mar 16, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) dunks against Marquette Golden Eagles guards Kam Jones (1) and Zaide Lowery (10) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) dunks against Marquette Golden Eagles guards Kam Jones (1) and Zaide Lowery (10) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Karaban, UConn

The Southborough native was the starting power forward a year ago on the Huskies national championship squad. He helped UConn claim the tournament's top overall seed this March. Karaban, a redshirt sophomore, averaged 13.9 points and five rebounds per game on a team that has spent much of the year ranked No. 1 or in contention for it. The Huskies are the No. 1 seed in the East region and will face 16-seed Stetson at 2:45 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn (CBS). If UConn advances to the Sweet 16, they will play at TD Garden in a homecoming for Karaban.

Top of the pack: Alex Karaban named New Hampshire Gatorade POY

Wellesley resident and Yale commit Trevor Mullin of St. Sebastian's School follows through on a shot. Mullin won the contest after shooting 87% from the field.
Wellesley resident and Yale commit Trevor Mullin of St. Sebastian's School follows through on a shot. Mullin won the contest after shooting 87% from the field.

Trevor Mullin, Yale

The freshman from Wellesley was the 2023 NEPSAC Class A Player of the Year at the St. Sebastian’s School and a two-time Independent School League MV. He scored more than 2,000 points for the Arrows. He helped the Bulldogs win the Ivy League tournament title in a dramatic finish against Brown. Mullin has appeared in nine games and gone 4-of-16 from the field. He played a career-high 12 minutes against Colby-Sawyer on Dec. 8 and scored eight of his 13 career points. Yale is the East region's No. 13 seed and will face No. 4 Auburn at 4:15 p.m. Friday in Spokane, Washington (TNT).

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Other Massachusetts connections

Cole Bott, Texas (Northfield Mount Hermon)

Dec 29, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Harrison Carrington (31) and guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) and guard KJ Simpson (2) and guard Luke O'Brien (0) and Colorado Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III (3) huddle in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Harrison Carrington (31) and guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) and guard KJ Simpson (2) and guard Luke O'Brien (0) and Colorado Buffaloes guard Julian Hammond III (3) huddle in the second half at the CU Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Harrison Carrington, Colorado (Northfield Mount Hermon)

Jordan Clayton, Northwestern (Medford)

Thai Davis, Sacred Heart (Stoughton)

Connecticut guard Caroline Ducharme (33) shoots over Iowa guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy Championship, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Portland, Ore.
Connecticut guard Caroline Ducharme (33) shoots over Iowa guard Caitlin Clark during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Phil Knight Legacy Championship, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, in Portland, Ore.

Caroline Ducharme, UConn (Milton)

Kyle Filipowski, Duke (Wilbraham & Monson)

Aislinn Gibson, Maine (Hingham)

Luke Hunger, Northwestern (Northfield Mount Hermon)

Michael Jankovich, Kansas (Northfield Mount Hermon)

Texas A&M forward Wildens Leveque (10) reacts after being fouled while scoring a basket against Kentucky during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M forward Wildens Leveque (10) reacts after being fouled while scoring a basket against Kentucky during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

Wildens Leveque, Texas A&M (Brockton)

Taina Mair, Duke (Boston)

Jennifer Martin, Drexel (Westford)

Margo Mattes, Princeton (Brookline)

Jordan Minor, Virginia (Brimmer and May)

Marvin Musiime-Kamali, Akron (Brockton)

Mar 16, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tre Norman (5) and Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) fight for a loose ball in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2024; New York City, NY, USA; Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tre Norman (5) and Connecticut Huskies guard Stephon Castle (5) fight for a loose ball in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Tre Norman, Marquette (Boston)

Shy Odom, Howard (Roxbury)

Oluchi Okananwa, Duke (Boston)

Faye Parker, Richmond (Swampscott)

North Carolina State guard Jayden Taylor (1) drives to the basket as Duke Blue Devils forward TJ Power (12) defends in the first half Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington.
North Carolina State guard Jayden Taylor (1) drives to the basket as Duke Blue Devils forward TJ Power (12) defends in the first half Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington.

TJ Power, Duke (Shrewsbury)

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Cormac Ryan, North Carolina (Milton Academy)

Nicolas Timberlake, Kansas (Braintree)

Rachel Ullstrom, Richmond (Auburn)

Hason Ward, Iowa State (Springfield Central)

Danny Wolfe, Yale (Northfield Mount Hermon)

Cooper Wright, Colgate (Cambridge Rindge and Latin)

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: UConn's Alex Karaban headlines local March Madness basketball players