Well, that’s one way to put it. That even threw off the dog himself.

“An old dog? Why an old dog,” he asked his teammate before the explanation only left him speechless.

He’s not exactly Old Yeller, but his coach offered him another title: baby sitter.

“He just babysits your team for 40 and a half years,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley. “I mean, he's been the best babysitter.”

Point is, this isn’t Karaban’s first rodeo, but it’s certainly his last as he closes his storied college career trying to achieve something that hasn’t been achieved by a player in more than 50 years: win three national championships.

Done eight times in history — all by those in John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty in the 1960s and 1970s — the last time it was accomplished was in 1971-73 with Larry Farmer and Larry Hollyfield.

Now 53 years later, Karaban is the person two wins away from joining this prestigious list, and even though the 23-year-old gets clowned on, his teammates want him to get there.

What’s remarkable about Karaban’s time is it wasn’t like he was some benchwarmer during the first two titles. A two-time captain, he has been a major factor in getting UConn on the cusp of a dynasty.

That’s why he became the first active men’s basketball player to be inducted into UConn’s illustrious Huskies of Honor, and already the team’s winningest player ever.

As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 39 games — starting the last 38 — to lead the team in total minutes played, all while shooting 40.2% from 3-point land. The following season, he started every game, upped his scoring from 9.3 to 13.3 points per game and shot nearly 50% from the field. 

“He's the greatest problem solver you'll ever have in practice, in game, and then, like, the tone he sets for your culture with his work habits, the peer pressure that that puts on everyone in the organization when your best player works as hard as he does,” Hurley said.

Now in Indianapolis, the Huskies haven’t stopped leaning on Karaban either. He had some fun reminding the first-timers this is his third Final Four, and having him around has really helped those newbies go about the biggest stage in the sport.

Whether it’s dealing with playing in a football stadium, the pressure and endless questions from media, Karaban has given them tips on how to navigate it and not let it become too much. That’s probably why if Reed and guard Silas Demary Jr. needed a teammate as an emergency contact, they both would put down Karaban.

“Having a guy like that to literally lead your team been here before, he's poised on this stage,” Reed said. “Having that guy in your corner is really special.”

Not many people get to be in Karaban’s position, 4-0 in the Final Four with a chance to be 6-0. Even though he’s achieved all of this success, he feels like the Huskies have a chip on their shoulder as they aren’t the major favorite to win it all. 

So, yes Karaban is an old dog, and he ain’t ready to go down just yet.

“It's an interesting way to put it, but I mean, yeah, I don't want this to end. I want to keep going. I want to keep fighting and really keep wearing that Connecticut jersey across my chest.,” Karaban said. “I guess the old dog wants to keep living for his treats — and my treat is a win — then, yeah, I'll keep fighting for it.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: At Final Four, Alex Karaban is UConn's 'old dog that just won't die'