Seton Hall Postgame Thread

[oldhusky]

It surprised me, but this far into the season, I think this is the first game where the Huskies exceeded my hopes and expectations. There have been a couple that met expectations, and those expectations change for every player that is missing, but this was the first time I thought, wow I didn't expect to win by that many.

Even before the injuries the team was under-performing expectations, but in this game things seemed to click. The defensive game-plan was sound and well executed, we rebounded the heck out of the ball, got it inside at least to Liv, and because overall play was good won by a lot despite another poor shooting night.

Shooting may continue to be an issue for a bit, but at least there we know help is on the way with Azzi and Paige.

 

[cohenzone]

I think we agree far more than we disagree.................I'm not saying that we shouldn't praise the team after a victory, any win is a good win especially under the present circumstances but if the team beats up on most of the Big East teams and then some of the very same players don't show up against better competition what have they gained? The team is only as good as their ability to compete at the highest level...........this is UConn not some average program and if that sounds entitled so be it......

Saying “this is UConn “ with 40 points and the best guard in the country unavailable is like saying this is South Carolina with Boston and two of their other top scorers out. The logo on the uniform isn’t quite what makes a team competitive. Geno coached a great game yesterday and his available players - certainly quite capable - responded really well, which bodes well for when the program is back to mostly full strength, remembering Griffin would make us even more versatile. We are definitely entitled to nothing and the field of competition is much better and deeper than ever.

 

[BBallF]

That was the best game from Nika in a long time. 11 points, 7 boards, 4 steals and 3 assists is a very good stat line for a PG. Her defense on Park Lane was stifling and she has emerged as the team's vocal leader on the court and maybe off of it.

Evina just has to not think. I am glad she started driving and shooting the floaters. They are her best moves. There is simply no reason for her, in this reconstituted line up, not to have 15-20 per game. If her 3s start to drop at a 35% rate, as in 3 for 8 and not 1 for 8, it changes everything for her because it will open up her driving. I was just happy she didn't go into a "pass only shell" when she started missing. She just has to square up more on her shots by taking her time. There is no real mystery here. On this team, everybody has to be responsible for scoring so stay in the gym until you are confident with your shot. Paige ain't out there.

Liv's evolution in her senior year is a pleasure to watch. If you examine her outside shot closely, you will see how much more confident and smoother it is. Also, 5 assists and 3 steals from the 5 position is all gravy and she has been getting those numbers regularly in the last few games. She is on a path to POY in the Big East by dominating games at both ends of the court.

CD was due for a game like last night. It just happens. As was pointed out, she has to set her feet on her 3s, I mean so does Steph Curry. I expect her to bounce back big tomorrow. What can you say about her? She is a real find, a player, and has a great business like demeanor on the court.

Dorka is still adapting and still improving within the system and is a very experienced basketball player who does many of the little things very well for a big man. She is a smart player.

Piath is really improving every game. You can see she wants to be a very good player. Amari has a lot of natural talent. She just doesn't have to shoot first and pass second especially when she is capable of throwing a pass like she did to Piath last night.

All in all, a very solid performance, highlighted by great team defense, unselfishness and teamwork. Hey, we are without our 2 best shooters in Paige and Azzi, our best passer and scorer, our leading active scorer in CW, and our best defender and floor player in Aubrey. But something is happening. CD has become a legit starter and emerging star, Liv has become a tougher and different player, and now Nika is getting her groove back.

Sure Seton Hall ain't Oregon, but the defense we played last night is potable. Just go out there and play and don't be afraid to lose and keep shooting please. It's still a long way to March and the only thing that matters is what you have become as a team then.

 

[#12in21]

Great team response after a bad loss on Monday. Controlled pace, low turnovers, shut down opponents' top players and rebounded well. I thought both E and Nika showed great bounce back after getting the harshest critique from Geno after Oregon game. Put it behind them and both played like the team needed them to. Well co-ordinated efforts by all with more intentional ball movement on offense and good communication and energy on defense. Park Lane who had been on a roll was very frustrated in being forced to roll to the opposite of her preferred side and was then faced with one of our bigs. She never got into any rhythm, either did AEH.

Kudos to Nika for taking the shots when she had them, putting up seven attempts on threes and hitting on three of them. As a whole our offensive production still needs to continue to improve but with four out of five starters in double figures and the lone one not being Caroline (who has been our leading scorer recently) this was a good indicator we are moving in the right direction. Olivia continued playing at a really great level.

Interesting to hear Geno's take on Nika being the best communicator on the team and his observation as to how the team listens to her. That observation was picked up on by the press in the questioning of the players with both Olivia and Evina affirming it in their responses. Nika in response, for the first time I can recall in a presser, actually appeared a bit flustered and quickly redirected things to the team and that she always tries to bring energy. As you all know I love the kid, such a ball of energy, great teammate and a great personality. Missed her usual drop of a bit of humor during the presser although a smile began to break out a couple times.

Bring on the Johnies and continued good play!

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

I think we agree far more than we disagree.................I'm not saying that we shouldn't praise the team after a victory, any win is a good win especially under the present circumstances but if the team beats up on most of the Big East teams and then some of the very same players don't show up against better competition what have they gained? The team is only as good as their ability to compete at the highest level...........this is UConn not some average program and if that sounds entitled so be it......

Agreed... BUT... the Team that played vs Oregon was NOT the TEAM. They were already missing Paige (best player in the land, etc) and Azzi, and then found out Chrysten could not play when it was too late to plan for that. No team game plans or practices for that scenario. So, they get punched in the gut, and have their next highest scorer unavailable... a senior and solid defender out with zero prep time...and the have to play a team with everyone back and they are hungry to get into the national conversation. This is a major psychological blow...as well as physical. Hard to play like UCONN fans expect with that kind of situation. IMHO

 

[Charliebball]

Saying “this is UConn “ with 40 points and the best guard in the country unavailable is like saying this is South Carolina with Boston and two of their other top scorers out. The logo on the uniform isn’t quite what makes a team competitive. Geno coached a great game yesterday and his available players - certainly quite capable - responded really well, which bodes well for when the program is back to mostly full strength, remembering Griffin would make us even more versatile. We are definitely entitled to nothing and the field of competition is much better and deeper than ever.

I agree with you but when you still have two number one ranked high school All Americans, two other number six ranked players, and a 15th ranked player, an All Big Ten player and a member of the Canadian National Team member on your available roster the expectations should still be fairly high...........I'm not saying they should be expected to win against the best competition, especially under the circumstances but they should be really competitive both individually and as a team...........

 

[SLY63]

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.

I notice this frequently with both Dorka and AE. I think the only 2 players we have that can pass into the post are Paige and Liv. It must be very frustrating for Dorka and AE.

 

[Bigboote]

true but if she can be great at the one trick, she will help us down the line. she gets the ball up quickly and that is because she doesnt bring it down. she needs more playing time with other players.

Walter Johnson was also a one-trick pony. As Ty Cobb said (from memory, which is fallible)’ “The best thing about Walter Johnson is, you know a fastball is coming. The worst thing is, knowing it doesn’t help.”

 

[Stymie]

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.

I’ll tell you what.
Maybe she is.
And maybe Coach can teach her some more tricks.
I LOVE the fact that she plays totally unafraid.

 

[donalddoowop]

I think Ducharme is getting tired. She did not play this much in high school, and she has got to get used to it. Also, she took only nine shots when she has been taking 18 t0 20 shots a game. She sometimes misses more shots than eight but takes enough to score in the teens. She will be fine, especially when the other players return. As far as the way the team looks sometimes, ND looked terrible in a loss to Louisville the year they won the NC, worse than UConn did against Oregon. So, there is still hope for the Huskies.

 

[cohenzone]

I agree with you but when you still have two number one ranked high school All Americans, two other number six ranked players, and a 15th ranked player, an All Big Ten player and a member of the Canadian National Team member on your available roster the expectations should still be fairly high...........I'm not saying they should be expected to win against the best competition, especially under the circumstances but they should be really competitive both individually and as a team...........

And they are. But none of the #1 ranked players played yesterday or against Oregon against whom they had to make another no
practice adjustment following one day off, a delayed cross country flight and a relatively early start. I’m just saying being UConn doesn’t tell the story. Take just Maya Moore and Loren Dixon off the floor and make Kelly Faris miss the season and the 2009/10 unbeaten team would have some difficulties despite Tina Charles, Kalena Greene and Tiffany Hayes. Meaning being UConn would’ve been a lot less formidable. This year’s program is having to make a bunch of key adjustments and I’m hoping that when we are full strength, Fudd will catch up and play as touted, Paige will be Paige, Christyn will continue her renewed energy and the others will build on the confidence they are gaining in the meantime. Go Huskies.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Geno said something in his postgame presser that I found illuminating. Maybe it is not new but it is to me. It was about Nika. I don't know that he has come close to saying this before. " When she's on the floor she's the voice of our team Other people may think they are but they're not. " He went on to say everyone on the team listens to that voice. She knows what she's talking about and plays harder that everyone else on the team. You can understand why foul trouble for Nika is a serious team problem. Vocal leaders have been hard to come by in recent years. It is one big element that contributes to Geno saying we are a different team when Nika is out there.

 

[JellyBean]

Just a joy to watch this team! This game, the ball movement was superb. Passes were on the money, for the most part. Only 10 turnovers. That was pretty impressive. Nika. We all love that young lady and this game it was super special seeing her shots falling. So happy for that young lady. Just an all around great game by everyone. From the decision making on down to the post entry passes. Even seeing Piath and Amari out there getting some floor time was nice. They need more minutes out there, especially when we play South Carolina next week.

Great game, Huskies!!

 

[Charliebball]

Saying “this is UConn “ with 40 points and the best guard in the country unavailable is like saying this is South Carolina with Boston and two of their other top scorers out. The logo on the uniform isn’t quite what makes a team competitive. Geno coached a great game yesterday and his available players - certainly quite capable - responded really well, which bodes well for when the program is back to mostly full strength, remembering Griffin would make us even more versatile. We are definitely entitled to nothing and the field of competition is much better and deeper than ever.

Actually I was referring to CW and EW both of whom have had up and down seasons so far.............I'm not sure where all the anger is coming from because I simply pointed out that playing well against average talent doesn't mean as much as playing equally well against far better talent....... UConn wins championships when good players play great and when great players play great against the best competition.......I'd like to think everyone here is in agreement with that........

 

[Boreifs]

Just a joy to watch this team! This game, the ball movement was superb. Passes were on the money, for the most part. Only 10 turnovers. That was pretty impressive. Nika. We all love that young lady and this game it was super special seeing her shots falling. So happy for that young lady. Just an all around great game by everyone. From the decision making on down to the post entry passes. Even seeing Piath and Amari out there getting some floor time was nice. They need more minutes out there, especially when we play South Carolina next week.

Great game, Huskies!!

Substitute except for especially and the last sentence will be accurate. If they see the floor in that game, it will be because someone was injured or a blowout.

 

[JellyBean]

Geno said something in his postgame presser that I found illuminating. Maybe it is not new but it is to me. It was about Nika. I don't know that he has come close to saying this before. " When she's on the floor she's the voice of our team Other people may think they are but they're not. " He went on to say everyone on the team listens to that voice. She knows what she's talking about and plays harder that everyone else on the team. You can understand why foul trouble for Nika is a serious team problem. Vocal leaders have been hard to come by in recent years. It is one big element that contributes to Geno saying we are a different team when Nika is out there.

Evina mentioned that as well about Nika and her being vocal out there and people listening to her. Evina also added that all of the players listen to each other, which is a huge plus. Nika does play hard out there, and I applaud her for that. Her energy & intensity is much needed.

 

[cohenzone]

Actually I was referring to CW and EW both of whom have had up and down seasons so far.............I'm not sure where all the anger is coming from because I simply pointed out that playing well against average talent doesn't mean as much as playing equally well against far better talent....... UConn wins championships when good players play great and when great players play great against the best competition.......I'd like to think everyone here is in agreement with that........

No anger. Just think some of what you are saying in the context of this year is not quite taking every thing into account and gives too little credit to the growing parity at the upper end of the game. . We slaughtered a .500 team yesterday with nowhere near the roster we expected. If you look at our losses, the only one that had us at relatively full strength was South Carolina. If you are focusing on EW and CW, they are really different cases. I’m guessing Westbrook is asking a lot of her legs to begin with and then got thrust into point guard role. Williams might be more of the case, but I think she isn’t exactly a dud and the reality is that her strong points make her more of a complementary player.

 

[The deacon]

I think Ducharme is getting tired. She did not play this much in high school, and she has got to get used to it. Also, she took only nine shots when she has been taking 18 t0 20 shots a game. She sometimes misses more shots than eight but takes enough to score in the teens. She will be fine, especially when the other players return. As far as the way the team looks sometimes, ND looked terrible in a loss to Louisville the year they won the NC, worse than UConn did against Oregon. So, there is still hope for the Huskies.

Agreed, Donald, on all counts. The return of Paige to her top form and Azzi's expected rapid development are both open to conjecture, but I believe this edition of Olivia and the good version of Dorka could make the difference for this Huskies team... lots of ifs, for sure.

Regarding Caroline, it's very possible she's tired. If she goes as hard every day in practice as Geno says, and she probably wasn't one of those down with Covid, that means she's been playing aggressive basketball for nearly every day since the holidays. I hope she eventually settles into a 25-30 minutes per game routine, possibly more when she's having a good shooting game.

I'll add that I also believe she's got to be frustrated (as likely is Dorka) that, especially early in this game, she worked hard to get position in the lane and the only entry pass she received was from, who else, Liv.

We watched Napheesa scored countless points and draw countless fouls doing just what Caroline is trying to do. I hope her teammates (in addition to Liv) realize what an asset that can be for the Huskies. I'm not about to elevate Caroline to the lofty level Napheesa played at during her last couple of Huskies seasons, but I think she has the same in-the-paint instincts, she's actually a little taller, with long arms,and she's a great free throw shooter.... seems a recipe for success. All that, of course, is a moot point when the Huskies go with three bigs and she's got little room to maneuver near the basket.

 

[Centerstream]

Agreed, Donald, on all counts. The return of Paige to her top form and Azzi's expected rapid development are both open to conjecture, but I believe this edition of Olivia and the good version of Dorka could make the difference for this Huskies team... lots of ifs, for sure.

Regarding Caroline, it's very possible she's tired. If she goes as hard every day in practice as Geno says, and she probably wasn't one of those down with Covid, that means she's been playing aggressive basketball for nearly every day since the holidays. I hope she eventually settles into a 25-30 minutes per game routine, possibly more when she's having a good shooting game.

I'll add that I also believe she's got to be frustrated (as likely is Dorka) that, especially early in this game, she worked hard to get position in the lane and the only entry pass she received was from, who else, Liv.

We watched Napheesa scored countless points and draw countless fouls doing just what Caroline is trying to do. I hope her teammates (in addition to Liv) realize what an asset that can be for the Huskies. I'm not about to elevate Caroline to the lofty level Napheesa played at during her last couple of Huskies seasons, but I think she has the same in-the-paint instincts, she's actually a little taller, with long arms,and she's a great free throw shooter.... seems a recipe for success. All that, of course, is a moot point when the Huskies go with three bigs and she's got little room to maneuver near the basket.

I believe the same thing. Caroline, and everyone else, needs to get the ball everywhere when they have a mismatch.

 

[Charliebball]

No anger. Just think some of what you are saying in the context of this year is not quite taking every thing into account and gives too little credit to the growing parity at the upper end of the game. . We slaughtered a .500 team yesterday with nowhere near the roster we expected. If you look at our losses, the only one that had us at relatively full strength was South Carolina. If you are focusing on EW and CW, they are really different cases. I’m guessing Westbrook is asking a lot of her legs to begin with and then got thrust into point guard role. Williams might be more of the case, but I think she isn’t exactly a dud and the reality is that her strong points make her more of a complementary player.

well, that's my point........there's the Big East where parity comes in the form of mediocrity other than UConn and Depaul and then there's upper echelon parity where there are 25 teams that can beat the number one team on any given day.........when UConn plays well against a Big East team that's great but it's not a true test of where the team is at but how they play against a good team is more of a reality check......so while I take the results of every game into account, I'm far more interested in how the team performs against South Carolina than I am against Seton Hall...........at this point in the season, I'll take a six point loss to SC if UConn plays well over a 30 point win over Seton Hall any day......

 

[Longtime fan]

Some thoughts on the Seton Hall game:

• Another game, another short bench for the Huskies. It was really, really nice to see all 6 prime time UConn players involved and contributing tonight. Also nice to see Piath & Amari get some run tonight and do some nice things on the court.
• This was a terrific game for Nika. She harassed SH’s Park-Lane relentlessly. After putting up 30 in two straight games, Nika dogged Park-Lane all night long, holding her without a FG in the 1st half. Nika’s 3 x 3’s were a really nice and somewhat unexpected bonus.
• It was clear from the start of the game that SH planned to play Liv physically in the paint on D. That was just fine, particularly when Liv put Cooks on the bench in foul trouble.
• Once again UConn didn’t shoot it well from the arc, particularly in the 1st half with Caroline sitting in foul trouble, but the Huskies made up for that with a great job crashing the boards for second chance points. UConn had 17 offensive rebounds in tonight's game.
• This was not a mismatch of a game for Liv vs 6’4” Sidney Cooks, a former McD AA. She was fabulous tonight: 17 pts, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks. I am not quite sure just how much better Liv can play, but I’m perfectly willing to find out.
• The formula right now for UConn, at least in the BE: tough defense + rebounding + grind it out offense = wins.

I think Edwards deserves a shout out. She played very well. I can't get out of my head that Geno ( in an interview ) remarked how Caroline, by far, is the one making all her shots in practice. And yet....in recent games...she can't buy a three. I agree it was great to see Piath and DeBerry. with some quality minutes. It does appear that the hard work put in by Piath is paying off. She seems ahead of DeBerry and really moves well up and down the court. Both seem somewhat unsure what to do on defense.

 

[HuskyNan]

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.

In the post game presser, Geno said Piath’s defense is ahead of her offense but if she gets the ball in the paint, she can get it up on the rim. He’s very pleased with how she’s progressing and, especially, her new work ethic

 

[HuskyNan]

I think Ducharme is getting tired. She did not play this much in high school, and she has got to get used to it. Also, she took only nine shots when she has been taking 18 t0 20 shots a game. She sometimes misses more shots than eight but takes enough to score in the teens. She will be fine, especially when the other players return. As far as the way the team looks sometimes, ND looked terrible in a loss to Louisville the year they won the NC, worse than UConn did against Oregon. So, there is still hope for the Huskies.

Good point. It’s not unusual for freshmen to hit a wall in January. The dorms are still closed and the team is either on the road or in a hotel. It wears on young players

Still, it’s only one game. I wondered at one point last night if Geno wants the team to stop waiting for someone else to score and start thinking of being more offensive minded. Just passing the ball to Caroline and waiting for her to do something is just bad basketball

 

[#12in21]

No. 9 UConn wears down Seton Hall

UConn wears down Seton Hall

news.yahoo.com

Nice article by Alexa Philippou.