Seton Hall Post Game Thread

[Conndog]

Just a great game, loss aside. How many times UConn played good defense and someone from SH would make a difficult (not lucky) shot- the commentators mentioned it often. There were a lot of times when the ball would be loose and lots of hands would touch it and then somehow SH would get it- the foul on Whaley was where it kept getting batted around, shot clock was running out, and just at end the SH point guard and Whaley collide going for the ball. Saw similar unlucky plays a number of times in the game. Just added to the excitement.
So long as we make the tournament, these games make UConn better, and they will be more dangerous (and hopefully get the lucky bounces) come March/April tourney time.

 

[Conndog]

IIRC Andre had 3 drives today where he could have gone to the rim but stopped dribbling too far out and passed. He needs to find a way to maintain the dribble get a shot up there. Seton Hall drove the ball all game for layups. We do not have enough front court players that can do that due to lack of handle ability. We made a number of 3's today which kept us in it. Mainly our halfcourt is we throw it into Adama and watch him go to work or RJ drives.

I agree, hope he learns to become more assertive and not have getting an assist his primary goal. With his hops, he can become really dynamic. When he missed that airball three, it was a shame because he had made a couple in a row previously, and it would have been a real dagger had he made it, but he really missed it badly.

 

[geohusky]

It’s line a bad moving playing over and over unforced turnovers missed layups and absolutely awful end of game execution

 

[kansashusky]

We lost an overtime game on the road to a ranked team after a 17 day layoff. Come on people. Yes, Martin wasn’t good at stopping Richmond and had a case of the fumbles (SH doubled him to prevent his drives). Jackson made some weird passing decisions that lead to turnovers. But overall the team played well. Nothing to worry about. They need to learn to win late. But man is this team ever battle tested.

W (OT) vs current #9 Auburn neutral
L 64-60 vs current #10 MSU neutral
L 56-53 vs 12-2 WVU road
L 57-53 vs #16 PC home
L (OT) vs #24 Seton Hall road.

To be fair. Seton Hall has had a layoff. Their best player was on a minutes restriction (trapped in an apartment in Canada for 10 days, no basketball) . And their best big Yetna didn’t play.

 

[CL82]

Richmond was our guard and we stuck with Gaffney lol

He had a good existing relationship with Willard and the Seton Hall staff who recruited him initially. That would’ve been a hell of a steal if we got him.

 

[olehead]

That’s my point. Dan can be as proud as he wants that he didn’t take a transfer, but he could have improved the roster, and he didn’t.

The nuts on this board dismissed me for this very take. If DH can't adjust to the new world, there are others out there who will who would love to be in his place. Hoping DH is not too comfortable.

 

[HeGotGame]

To be fair. Seton Hall has had a layoff. Their best player was on a minutes restriction (trapped in an apartment in Canada for 10 days, no basketball) . And their best big Yetna didn’t play.

SH has played 3 games since UConn last played, all their best players played over 30 mins, but yes Yetna did not play. So 1 out of 3, not bad.

 

[Husky Alien]

Was a very good game. I don’t care if you don’t believe in zone defense. You need to have it for extreme cases. This was one of them.

The answer is you play zone….

Zones can be very effective when strategically done. Richmond should not have gotten 17 straight points. After not handling him 3 or 4 times down the court, throw some type of zone at them or as some have said double team him. Disrupt their flow by doing something out of the ordinary other than straight up man for a period of time. We had this but we need to finish these games by playing smarter.

 

[kansashusky]

SH has played 3 games since UConn last played, all their best players played over 30 mins, but yes Yetna did not play. So 1 out of 3, not bad.

Tyrese Samuel played 18 minutes…..

 

[Ricker]

Gillespie backed down Cole and Gaffney last year time after time. In the preseason I said we needed a strategy to neutralize that kind of action in order to win big games. After watching Richmond abuse Martin, Polley, Whaley, and others,I'm sorry to report that our strategy is to just to keep trying different guys, rather than come with a double team to force the ball to be passed, or other strategy. I guess we figure our nemesis in a given game will eventually get too tired scoring and we will just wear him down. We've had a year to address this.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Gillespie backed down Cole and Gaffney last year time after time. In the preseason I said we needed a strategy to neutralize that kind of action in order to win big games. After watching Richmond abuse Martin, Polley, Whaley, and others,I'm sorry to report that our strategy is to just to keep trying different guys, rather than come with a double team to force the ball to be passed, or other strategy. I guess we figure our nemesis in a given game will eventually get too tired scoring and we will just wear him down. We've had a year to address this.

It is a legit complaint that Hurley simply doesn’t change his defense. I don’t get it. We’ve seen the team abused because our bigs are drawn outside as well. Sanogo had to sit early with 2 fouls because he fouled a guard outside the 3 point line. He shouldn’t have even been out there. I hate it. He doesn’t seem to go away from it.

 

[navery12]

Tyrese Samuel played 18 minutes…..

Are you suggesting Tyrese Samuel is their best player? Because he's not, he's nowhere close

 

[HeGotGame]

Tyrese Samuel played 18 minutes…..

So not their best player, got it

 

[USNavyDog]

As this game indicated, Uconn has one major limitation...depth at point guard (whats happens when R.J Cole fouls out) and they could have a couple more inside players to save Adam Sanogo from getting into foul trouble.

We all expected Rasool Diggins to to an immediate impact freshman pointguard to take the pressure off R.J. Cole and its not happening because Diggins won't be played. No way Uconn wins a championship this year with only one high level pointguard like Cole.

As for Sanogo, he's a great center similar to Emeka Okafor, but it would've nice to have Ritchie Springs and Sampson Johnson more involved. This would protect Sanogo from heading to the beach with 3 fouls early in the 2nd half.

To me, those are the major reason we lost this game.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Every loss has been a winnable situation. Team has trouble closing.

 

[Jbirdp5]

I still like ajs progress and I understand he’s not a natural shooter, but when he gets in the lane he needs to go up strong every now and again. He gets in the lane a bunch and he either shoots that grotesque floater or doesn’t look at the rim sat all. That I think will improve our teams halfcourt greatly.
Whaley can’t get backed down by a guard and basically have his way with you at the basket. Was very surprised and disappointed to see that, I didn’t think that was a bad move strategically by Hurley it just didn’t work out.
I also thought that we waited so long on the final possession as part of strategy to take the last shot. It looked like we weren’t starting the play right away to let the clock run down which I don’t understand at all. At that point we should have gone to the hoop as quickly as we can. You need to extend the game at that point and I thought that was a bad move strategically.
With all that being said I was very happy with how we competed and actually felt like we moved the ball very well compared to how stagnant our offense can get at times. I don’t see gloom and doom from that game

 

[kansashusky]

Are you suggesting Tyrese Samuel is their best player? Because he's not, he's nowhere close

I mean third in scoring, second in rebounds and second in blocks. He is a big key for their team.

 

[kansashusky]

SH has played 3 games since UConn last played, all their best players played over 30 mins, but yes Yetna did not play. So 1 out of 3, not bad.

Yetna and Samuel played over 30 minutes? So all their best players didn’t play over 30 minutes. Got it. We must have watched different games today.

 

[Frank06830]

As this game indicated, Uconn has one major limitation...depth at point guard (whats happens when R.J Cole fouls out) and they could have a couple more inside players to save Adam Sanogo from getting into foul trouble.

We all expected Rasool Diggins to to an immediate impact freshman pointguard to take the pressure off R.J. Cole and its not happening because Diggins won't be played. No way Uconn wins a championship this year with only one high level pointguard like Cole.

As for Sanogo, he's a great center similar to Emeka Okafor, but it would've nice to have Ritchie Springs and Sampson Johnson more involved. This would protect Sanogo from heading to the beach with 3 fouls early in the 2nd half.

To me, those are the major reason we lost this game.

I’ve seen Okafor play. Sanogo doesn’t come close to Okafor

 

[uconnfan68]

To be fair. Seton Hall has had a layoff. Their best player was on a minutes restriction (trapped in an apartment in Canada for 10 days, no basketball) . And their best big Yetna didn’t play.

You think we come here looking for fairness?

 

[Viet Vet]

Great game to watch- I think UConn gets the win if Cole doesn't foul out. PG is most important player in a game like this

No kidding. Just ask Geno if he wishes he had another PG besides Paige. I don't blame Cole...he's a shooting guard thrust into a PG role because his coach hasn't recruited any good true point guards. Hurley is captain of the ship, and the CO is accountable for EVERYTHING. No excuses.

 

[Viet Vet]

He also had a nice drive & potential highlight dunk “blocked” by the Hall player getting nothing but arm. One of the momentum-changing missed calls by the refs as the game tightened up.

Whether or not a call was missed.......................what's the big deal about a "highlight dunk"? I'll take defense, ballhandling, proper screens, boxing out and crashing the boards any day over Sports Center highlights.

Call me old school............................I'll consider it a compliment.

 

[HeGotGame]

Yetna and Samuel played over 30 minutes? So all their best players didn’t play over 30 minutes. Got it. We must have watched different games today.

"Their best player was on a minutes restriction (trapped in an apartment in Canada for 10 days, no basketball) ."

Samuel is not their best player, as I said, but keep trying. Again, you got 1 out of 3 things in your post right, not too bad.

 

[USNavyDog]

I’ve seen Okafor play. Sanogo doesn’t come close to Okafor

I said Sanogo is similar to Okafor based on size and skillset, but not necessarily as good (yet)...but he has lots of potential to be that good. He had a great game today despite he eventual foul trouble...18 points and 16 rebounds. But if he he keeps getting his 3rd foul too early in the 2nd half....the team is not the same.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Great game to watch- I think UConn gets the win if Cole doesn't foul out. PG is most important player in a game like this

How did Richmond not get whistled for an offensive foul when he ran into Cole, knocking him to the floor, with seconds left in regulation? Geez