Seton Hall Postgame Thread

[TeamFirst!]

One critique is that I think we could have gotten the ball inside even more. Liv was open a lot when she didn't get the ball, right in front of E it seemed. Keep pounding it inside if you want to win and Liv is shooting 60%.

 

[Happydad745]

The team did not seem to miss CW as much this game. I enjoyed the Dorka/Liv assault on the post, I really hope DJ stays for another year.

 

[TeamFirst!]

It seems Gabriel is a one trick pony though. At least she knows what she is and does it. Positions herself well on the right side for that patented layup.

 

[donalddoowop]

Good defense but Park-Lane and some others were so cold that they were actually looking forward to the warm bus ride back to Jersey.

UConn's defense was a part of the reason Seton Hall was so cold.

 

[MilfordHusky]

I thought it was a really good game other than poor 3-point shooting.

Some highlights:

Our defense held the Hall to 26% shooting. Park-Lane and AEH combined for 2-19 shooting. We had 12 steals. We out-rebounded them by 53-25. When was the last time we out-rebounded an opponent by 28??

We shot 22-38 inside the arc. Liv had an All-American stat line of 17/14/5/3/2. She's playing her best basketball. Nika controlled the game and had 11/7/3/4 on efficient shooting. She was our best 3-point shooter.

Amari and Piath had a great high-low bucket.

In short, we played harder AND smarter than we did on Monday.

On to St. Johns!

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

It was great to see the Team play as a Team and WIN as a Team...DESPITE being shorthanded again. There was a lot of concern on the BY since Monday's loss out west as to what would happen tonight... including talk about POSSIBLE 1st in conference loss in a million years, back to back losses for the first time in a gozillion years, and whatever else. But NOOOOO.... Our Huskies came out and played inspired TEAM basketball on both ends of the floor. Was Seton Hall over matched??? Maybe, but with so much doom and gloom on the BY this last week, I thought this was great to see.
BUT... I suppose some posters just won't be happy with anything but an undefeated season... or something.... UCONN WBB didn't just beat another weak BE Team, They squashed a BE Team by 33 points...holding them to only 38 points. Look over the Prognosticators Predictions... there MANY MOVs of UCONN winning by 10 or less, and some predicting a SH win.

Day by Day... Play by Play. Every W looks the same in the Standings... another check mark in the Win Column... as the Team that we have each week continues toward the day when the injured will return and the Team will be at FULL Force again. Who knows what will happen??? I don't, but I'm going to cheer them on the whole way!

IMHO

 

[Charliebball]

Yeah that Oregon game 4 days ago wasn’t a test.

This team is so snake bit, they need some confidence building games.

really doesn't do much good to beat up on noncompetitive Big East teams and then have to go play Oregon, Tennesse and South Carolina........those teams get tested every week, sometimes two or three times a week ,once their conference schedule starts.......it's a big advantage for them.......

 

[oldude]

really doesn't do much good to beat up on noncompetitive Big East teams and then have to go play Oregon, Tennesse and South Carolina........those teams get tested every week, sometimes two or three times a week ,once their conference schedule starts.......it's a big advantage for them.......

It is what it is.

All UConn can do is work hard in practice every day and play hard against the teams on their schedule.

 

[CTBballfan243]

really doesn't do much good to beat up on noncompetitive Big East teams and then have to go play Oregon, Tennesse and South Carolina........those teams get tested every week, sometimes two or three times a week ,once their conference schedule starts.......it's a big advantage for them.......

You can only play the teams on your schedule. UConn didn’t ask to be left behind in conference realignment. The Power Conferences just didn’t want UConn.

 

[Argonaut]

It seems Gabriel is a one trick pony though. At least she knows what she is and does it. Positions herself well on the right side for that patented layup.

But, isn’t that ultimately what Geno wants from his project players? Not necessarily to be a one trick pony, but figure out how you can contribute and do it well. Then, when that player can do that thing consistently, they add the next thing?

I feel like I remember Kyla and Molly talking about that as seniors.

 

[Charliebball]

It is what it is.

All UConn can do is work hard in practice every day and play hard against the teams on their schedule.

absolutely right but I find it kind of amusing that many here gush over a player's "great" games against weak opponents and then bitch about the same players after their sometimes-lackluster performances against the really good teams..........

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Geno talking about execution in the post game interview. What's to say? I think I like the way this team has responded to adversity than when they were trouncing people. They play hard butt basketball. They don't give in whether they're getting crushed, as last game, or winning big as in this.

I want to see more pull ups from the guards. E has her floater (finally), and CD missed two, but Nika never shoots them. I'd like to see the team take more advantage of the size mismatches. But even with bigger teams, CD poses a problem on the block for 90% of teams. UConn's guards need to find her more often.

I feel really sorry for the forwards who work so hard for position in the half court game and in transition and never see an entry pass. Dorka in particular. By the end of the game Dorka has taken such a pounding she stops working off the block.

Geno again tried every kind of action to get shots against the zone. His horn sets were few, and his flash to the foul line was more predominant.

Nice to see Nika hit from the outside. But this team wants to get its outside shooting going so badly they took a lot of unnecessary shots from outside. Against this tiny team they should have worked more inside action.

One of AE problems is balance. That kid hits the floor off of rebounds more than any forward at UConn I've seen. She never stops working though. But playing out of position has taken a toll on her, and her outside shot has been horrible. She did this game however, move her shot closer on her misses, and she made a few.

Liv taking five 3's was almost puzzling to me. But with the guards inability to find forwards in a timely manner on the block I'm hardly surprised.

Dorka...like Liv isn't really a 5. Granted they don't always get the ball to Dorka in the post ( I counted 3 times I THOUGHT Ducharme passed her up) I think she should forgo posting and just get the ball on a cut to the basket. Her balance and power is negated because she doesn't have great balance. She doesn't look anywhere close to being comfortable playing with her back to the basket. UCONN would score 10 more points alone if after the ball was thrown to the post...someone cut down the lane. Dorka did once...and scored. To me AE's issue is ...space and pace. In the open court...she's comfortable. In the half court...especially with LIV at the 5...lot of traffic under the basket. Last couple of games...they have her flashing to the foul line where there's more space. So far...she has usually opted to take the mid range jump shot...versus go down hill to the basket. Something they have to figure out. BTW...having Edwards flash to the foul line gets her space, but here's the other problem. This is a Princeton (read and react) offense and it doesn't work well AT ALL if the big at the foul line isn't a good passer or doesn't make quick decisions with the ball. It stalls because the timing for everyone else...is thrown off. You can see Edwards catch there and hesitate quite often. Took Liv awhile to catch on. Stef Dolson was the master.

 

[oldude]

absolutely right but I find it kind of amusing that many here gush over a player's "great" games against weak opponents and then bitch about the same players after their sometimes-lackluster performances against the really good teams..........

So you think it’s better to criticize players for lackluster performances against really good teams as well as undermining them for great games against weak teams?

UConn needs more fans like U……

 

[hoophuskee]

It is what it is.

All UConn can do is work hard in practice every day and play hard against the teams on their schedule.

Every year UCONN has had an advantage of playing a tough OOC schedule and then in their conference able to work on things and not get so beat up. This year especially so. Thank God we're in the Big East. Nice team win tonight. This team can take a breather. Needed it.

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

So you think it’s better to criticize players for lackluster performances against really good teams as well as undermining them for great games against weak teams?

UConn needs more fans like U……

Concur with You @oldude ... it's like they say... you get bucked off the horse, you need to get right back up there and try again.

@Charliebball ... not looking for an argument, but curious... IF your Child or Grandchild was on the Team...and they had the experience like they did against Oregon WITHOUT their top Two scorers, and then came back and played an overall solid TEAM FIRST game against Seton Hall (still without their top Two Scorers), What would you say to your Child/Grandchild??? Would you help build their confidence with positive feedback, or would you further diminish their confidence with something like... "Yeah, it was a big win, but you beat a really weak team." Just wondering.

 

[HopJim]

Every year UCONN has had an advantage of playing a tough OOC schedule and then in their conference able to work on things and not get so beat up. This year especially so. Thank God we're in the Big East. Nice team win tonight. This team can take a breather. Needed it.

While I agree that the blow outs against low level opponents receive more kudos than is deserved, not sure of any other team that year after year plays such a tough schedule.

 

[uconnever]

really doesn't do much good to beat up on noncompetitive Big East teams and then have to go play Oregon, Tennesse and South Carolina........those teams get tested every week, sometimes two or three times a week ,once their conference schedule starts.......it's a big advantage for them.......

We’ve won 11 titles playing in weak conferences, we ALWAYS wanna play well against whomever we’re playing.

 

[oldude]

We’ve won 11 titles playing in weak conferences, we ALWAYS wanna play well against whomever we’re playing.

I get your point, but I wouldn’t necessarily suggest that the OBE was a weak conference. Flashback to 2013 when the OBE had 3 of 4 FF teams: UConn, ND & Louisville.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I have actually enjoyed the past few games. A lot of players have made really nice gains. And I really liked seeing all the different combinations on the floor. UCONN has always been guard heavy and lately I think they are trying to see if they can go big for short stretches and be effective. Basketball is largely about matching up well...even when you have superior talent you can lose. Last year...Arkansas had superior speed. They won. This year SC had superior height..and won. These are difficult times, but there's a lot being gained with all this adversity. I also think conditioning has improved a lot since a month ago. Shout out to Piath!

 

[Ardenque]

I wonder if the coaching staff has gotten on Amari for slow jogging up/down the floor in every game.

I agree.
Tonight’s game was a high energy effort from all players except one.
Perhaps that’s why Piath got into the game well before her.
Amari was a top ranked player coming out of high school, but she has not played like one.
She looks a little lost and lackadaisical.
Hopefully soon the light will go on.

 

[Charliebball]

@Charliebball ... not looking for an argument, but curious... IF your Child or Grandchild was on the Team...and they had the experience like they did against Oregon, and then came back and played an overall solid TEAM FIRST game against Seton Hall, What would you say to your Child/Grandchild??? Would you help build their confidence with positive feedback, or would you further diminish their confidence with something like... "Yeah, it was a big win, but you beat a really weak team." Just wondering.


No problem, I'm happy to answer your question but first tell me what you think Geno said to the team after this game? Did he spend a lot of time congratulating the team for their efforts tonight? Maybe for about two minutes........I'm pretty sure he expected to win that game big and so did the players.........I bet many of them aren't even particularly pleased with their performances..........and that's a good thing.......

My older daughter played competitive basketball from the age of six through her senior year in high school and played summer ball at NBS in South Jersey ......she could have continued playing at the lower D1 level but chose not to mainly due to nagging injuries which had taken their toll......she played against some of the best players in the NJ/NY area including Dara Mabrey, Faith Masonius, Diamond Miller, Leilani Corea, Michelle Sidor etc and she often was forced to cover some of these players with shall we say not the greatest of results...........so yes I know what it's like to see your kid get their ass kicked and then come back against a mediocre team and shine........it's a really nice feeling indeed but it doesn't take away from the fact that you didn't do it in the games that count the most against the best competition............not that big a deal to my daughter but when you are playing at UConn it means everything.........when you can play to your abilities in those games, against the toughest competition you have done something extra special.........of course she was also taught that basketball is just a game and that life involves a heck of a lot more important things and that's what really counts......she's currently a physical education/health major and is hoping to coach girls grade school basketball in a couple of years......I think she's going to be an awesome coach.............

 

[bkart1978]

I'm really impressed by Nika's successful avoidance of fouls; the whole team played excellent on defense tonight DESPITE knowing that they had to be careful not to get into foul trouble with the short bunch. Nika can take more chances when the bench gets deeper, but she stuck mostly to solid fundamentals today and dialed down the aggression just the tiniest bit to great effect. She had a spectacular game (also grabbing a number of decently contested boards).

 

[Huskee11]

I was at the game and came away very impressed with the defensive effort. They were determined to make things uncomfortable for some pretty good offensive players at Seton Hall. We also took advantage of our height advantage and controlled the backboards. Unfortunately, our three point shooting made for a lot of rebounds.

Getting a couple of fouls early on Cooks was a big deal, I think.

The officiating was pretty good, I thought. They let them play for the most part.

Our guards were playing very good defense with their feet and did not reach in much. They played like they knew they had to stay out of foul trouble but they still played very hard. Caroline did pick up two in the first half but I think the second was an offensive foul that in real time looked like it should have gone the other way.

Nika`s picking Park-Lane`s pocket was a thing of beauty.

The negatives were poor three point shooting but also too much three point shooting. I know Seton Hall was packing it in but still, there were numerous occasions where the entry pass to the post player was there but the pass was not made. I don`t think that is unique to this UConn team, even the best UConn teams didn`t feed the post all that well.

But I am nitpicking to some extent, it was a determined, efficient defensive effort and it was fun to watch.

 

[KhoolKidd89]

I was hoping to see the Geno/AEH post game interaction but SNY cut from that camera. (I was just wondering and have no other motive.)

I definitely wanted to see that too lol

 

[Heytherego]

No problem, I'm happy to answer your question but first tell me what you think Geno said to the team after this game? Did he spend a lot of time congratulating the team for their efforts tonight? Maybe for about two minutes........I'm pretty sure he expected to win that game big and so did the players

Is winning by 30+ points not big? After seeing your post I actually had to go double check the score to make sure I wasnt going crazy. Jeez the entitlement of some fans is ridiculous. They did win BIG, and held Seton Hall’s two best players way below their average. There are things to be happy about and things to improve upon, no denying that.

What’s wrong with being satisfied with a win, especially with what this team has been going through this year. What is the point of being so extremely negative when the team had a solid win, even if it is over “lesser” competition? Let’s not forget Park Lane has smoked us in the past and lit up the scoreboard.