UConn junior forward Alex Karaban was taken to the hospital after suffering a head injury late in the Huskies' 85-67 loss to the Dayton Flyers at the Maui Invitational on Wednesday.

According to ESPN, Karaban was placed in concussion protocol after he hit his head on the floor while getting fouled. Karaban went to the hospital for further testing, and UConn team doctor Robert Arciero said he was "optimistic" about Karaban's condition.

UConn began the season 4-0 and entered this week as the No. 2 team in the nation, but the Huskies lost three consecutive games at the Maui Invitational to Memphis, Colorado and Dayton, all of whom are unranked.

Karaban was one of the few bright spots for UConn in Wednesday's loss, scoring a team-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting to go along with three rebounds and one assist.

Through seven games this season, Karaban is the Huskies' leading scorer with 15.9 points per contest. He is also shooting an impressive 50.7 percent from the field and 46.8 percent from beyond the arc.

The 6'8" forward played a key role on UConn's national championship-winning teams in each of the past two seasons, averaging 9.3 points per game as a freshman and 13.3 points per game last season.

Karaban has become even more of a key contributor this season due to the departure of several key players, including Stephon Castle, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, who were all NBA draft picks.

Despite losing so much talent, head coach Dan Hurley resisted overtures from the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and decided to stay at UConn in order to pursue a national championship three-peat.

No Division I men's college basketball team has won three consecutive national titles since UCLA won seven in a row from 1967 to 1973.

UConn still has time to right the ship, but after suffering its third loss Wednesday, it already has as many losses this season as it had all last season when it finished 37-3.

If Karaban is forced to miss some time, it will make a turnaround even more challenging for the Huskies, and it will place an even bigger scoring burden on the shoulders of Solo Ball, Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr.

UConn will return home to host 2-8 Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday before a home clash with No. 17 Baylor on Dec. 4.