Seton Hall Postgame Thread

[Charliebball]

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.

Exactly what did I say that was negative? I'm pleased any time UConn wins..........all I said was I don't take all that much from these games because frankly they don't compare to the games against ranked teams.........I've always been ONO's biggest defender because I know how good she can be and I'm so pleased that she's starting to show her stuff in big games like at Oregon..........the games that really matter the most.............what she did tonight was impressive but far less significant as far as I'm concerned......

 

[Charliebball]

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……

I'm a bit confused...........how am I undermining them exactly? My point was that some here speak volumes about a player's brilliance against a very average opponent like Seton Hall and then are shocked and upset when that same player doesn't have nearly as great a game against Louisville or South Carolina.........yes I expect UConn players to succeed against mediocre talent, and I'm happy when they beat anybody but I also expect that they may struggle against players that are as good or better when they play they best teams in the country and that should not be surprising to anybody..........that's exactly why a player like Paige Bueckers is so unusual.........it doesn't matter who she playing against or where she's playing, she's the same player just tougher and more determined against the best competition and that's what makes her the best player in women's college basketball........I was hoping her mindset would rub off on some of her teammates........that has yet to be determined but I look forward to find out.....

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

@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.............

Thanks @Charliebball for the response.
To answer your question, I think Geno's comments to the Team were something like:
Great Team Game.... You exercised the Game Plan as intended.... You communicated great... You made good decisions with the ball and on defense. You made it very hard for them to do what they wanted to do and what they are good at... You held them under 40 points... You held their top 2 scorers to almost nothing to the point they really weren't a factor. Congrats on the Win! Now, having said that, we can't be satisfied...we need to keep improving, every day, every practice, every game. We need to play with the players we have and keep our focus on the next game...then the next game, and so on. When we get Paige, Chrysten and Azzi back we will see how that will impact our game plan. But until they can contribute, You are who we have to put out on the floor. Continue play like you did today and to rise to the occasion each and every game and we'll see what happens....but I like our chances.

I was a baseball Dad. My son played from Tee Ball (4yrs old) through high level High School Baseball in Tidewater, Virginia, and Babe Ruth baseball going to the World Series Championship, ending up 2nd in the Country. In high school he played against David Wright (NY Mets 3rd Baseman for many years), a guy named Clayton Rapada (pitcher for NY Yankees and a few other teams for a few years) and more. His High School Team won their District his Junior Year [my son hit a walk off homerun in extra innings vs David Wright's HS Team... Now that was really Cool!!!]... took 2nd in the regional tournament and went to the VA State Tournament. Over those 14 years I was often the Coach or Assistant Coach of his teams in local little league, etc. There were games when we got knocked down pretty hard (like the Oregon game). And there were games when we put the whuppin' on some teams that were not all that good. My son and I always talked about what went well and not so well. And we talked about what he could do better to help the team. He knew when a team was weaker, but he always had suggestions and ideas for how He could do better in future games. This often led to me throwing hours and hours of batting practice to him...contributing in a big way to the arthritis in my throwing shoulder that I enjoy now as an old "ex-coach".

 

[Papa33]

It was a good game. I’d like to see the team maintain its confidence against all opponents not just the Big East teams

One step at a time . . . at least until we get more functional legs to play on!

 

[LoboDays]

Dissecting these games is post game tradition here. Nothing wrong with that. The same players who looked like they didn’t belong in a UCONN uniform last game looked like stars tonight. They will look like stars in their next game and every BE game they play. Every player seems to amazingly improve when the go from an OOC game to a BE game. Then comes another OOC game and the vicious cycle continues.

I just want to see some fight in them when the play SC. Some competitive spirt. If we lose to SC, I want my critique to say “maybe we lost but we played a hell of a game”.

 

[Papa33]

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.

Our bigs were working hard for position in the lane, doing more cutting into it more often. Were I one of them, I think I would have been frustrated when our ballhandlers didn't see them too many times or saw them too late. Awareness and timing is so-o-o important. If we reward those bigs who make their cuts into the lane, they'll work harder at getting there with the right timing. But tonight was at least a good start.

 

[Boreifs]

Yeah, it's Seton Hall but Nika had a great game both offensively and defensively. She was a big reason why Park Lane didn't run wild as she forced her left very overtly, and it worked. Hopefully it helps her get her confidence and helps her in the future.

Liv as the player of the game yet again. Really emerging as a major talent. She's really turned the corner it seems.

Caroline can't be great every game. She's human. OMG. I love that she didn't press it. We were winning. She's a team player.

We out rebounded them 53 to 25. Offensive rebounds: 17 to 2. Do you think that just maybe we should do more of this big lineup approach? Especially against South Carolina?

South Carolina no. Caroline is a much better match for Beal than Alijah would be.

 

[Vowelguy]

I surmised in the chat this was the reason Plath got in before DeBerry. I will infer that the light hasn’t fully clicked on yet for Amari.

 

[cohenzone]

My reaction is "ehhh"... So we beat another Big East, not very good team. Liv was good.. Nice to see Nika make some threes... that could be really important if she keeps it up... CD still needs to stop throwing up 3's so quickly just because she has an open window... she is seldom set with her feet and facing the basket squarely... Nice to see EW make some floaters... now if she can only get back to hitting 3's... A win is a win is a win... and yes, we are very shorthanded... but I still think the players we have can play better than they did...Dorka was good, for the most part... The defense was great.
Paige got a haircut--I hope it helps her rehab... LOL

Ehh, we have 40+ points unavailable and beat the snot out of them. Not that we would beat a fully loaded Oregon, but the team had zero practices without Williams for that game. Yes a short handed UConn is still better than Seton Hall,, but this did not figure to be a 30 point rout. The blessing in disguise with Paige out and the other absences is the others are having to assert their own identity. If Paige returns after the last of the tough teams (Tennessee?) we will be the mystery team that other teams will want in someone else’s bracket. In the meantime, defense will have to be the calling card, as it usually is with GA teams. The D wins, the O determines by how much.

 

[cohenzone]

I surmised in the chat this was the reason Plath got in before DeBerry. I will infer that the light hasn’t fully clicked on yet for Amari.

Plaith has also been with the program another year. I’m not sure if it says anything about lights going on for the Freshman who has some pretty talented upper classmen in front of her. It’s not like Plaith got in when there was some doubt about the outcome. But Plaith looks like she could contribute a little more than in garbage time. Amari is more like the usual big kid as a frosh. Remember how long it took for Stokes to make headway in the program. If we had the same injury issue in the front court as the back, we might have seen more of Amari. Hope that doesn’t happen. If we have more big 4th quarter leads maybe she will have more of a chance to get comfortable with the speed of the game.

 

[Plebe]

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.......

This narrative is so trite and overplayed.

Do you seriously think UConn, with the players who were available, would have fared better against Oregon if they were in a different conference?

I'm forever amazed at how people are so willing to forgo rational thinking just to pander to this narrative.

 

[TeamFirst!]

I'm definitely playing Caroline against South Carolina but SC has Amihere, Boston, Saxton and Cardosa all dominating the boards. If we miss, they get the rebound. I'm open to competing against that with more size in the lineup and if that means 3 forwards sometimes I think we should consider it. I like Caroline, Azzi or Paige firing it up from outside and 3 forwards banging the boards sometimes. I agree that Caroline has got to play and probably 30 minutes. Christin may be fatigued as it will be her first game back and with no Paige or possibly Azzi maybe a big lineup has some merit for some of the game. As it did today.

 

[Boreifs]

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.

I read these comments and looked at the replay. Granted, The view is better at the game, but Amari wasn’t any slower than her teammates from my vantage point. She has an unusual running style Bb that may look like a jog to some, but she is covering just as much ground as her teammates. Evina was very complimentary in the post game presser; I choose to trust her judgment.

 

[Skeets]

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 FOOTBALL.

Fixed it for you.

 

[freshler40]

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.

Good analysis. This was and is a slow-down offense especially with Westbrook running the point. Seemed like Geno was trying to cut down on errant passes and control the pace. There were numerous 2nd half opportunities to pass inside to a well positioned big that didn't happen. Much too tentative nothing passing finishing with a desperation shot. We run the shot clock down ourselves. Nobody cuts! Without Williams or similar on the break we are a different team.
Perhaps this new pace is our future until all key players are back. Geno often plays several games ahead if the opponent allows that. That will only be successful if we hit threes at much better than a 10-20% pace IMO. Even our mid-range game was suspect. Hoping for offensive rebounds against the top ten women's teams won't be the 80% efficiency of the last two games. It clearly worked here. Kados to coaches for the game plan.

 

[VaConnFan11]

Regardless of who the players are on the floor, shooting below 50% against weak Big East opponents is not a good sign.

 

[Stymie]

@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.............

Basketball is just a game, I agree.
But ALL competitions are a microcosm of life.
I competed in multiple sports-one for years at the highest level (all amateur).
The enduring value is that, hopefully, one develops pride, the drive to persevere, to move forward and the ability to “get the hell back up “ when knocked down.
And life surely knocks us all down at one time or another.
This team is learning all of the above.
It ain’t pretty, and sometimes the going gets tough.
Not all lessons are learned in the classroom.
Kudos to the woman of UCONN Basketball.
Fine effort!

 

[Geew1992]

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.

They had a chance to practice without her unlike monday

 

[Geew1992]

Good analysis. This was and is a slow-down offense especially with Westbrook running the point. Seemed like Geno was trying to cut down on errant passes and control the pace. There were numerous 2nd half opportunities to pass inside to a well positioned big that didn't happen. Much too tentative nothing passing finishing with a desperation shot. We run the shot clock down ourselves. Nobody cuts! Without Williams or similar on the break we are a different team.
Perhaps this new pace is our future until all key players are back. Geno often plays several games ahead if the opponent allows that. That will only be successful if we hit threes at much better than a 10-20% pace IMO. Even our mid-range game was suspect. Hoping for offensive rebounds against the top ten women's teams won't be the 80% efficiency of the last two games. It clearly worked here. Kados to coaches for the game plan.

I would think the slow down pace is to save energy. Since there’s only 2 guards and 6 players with significant playing time, I would think Geno is making sure they get some kind of rest even if not on the bench

 

[eebmg]

I was actually pleased with some of the passes into the post area in the 2nd half. Specifically, the discovery of the bounce pass which I think of as a staple of the old UConn teams. Maybe some guys are dusting off the archives.

 

[jazz]

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.

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.

 

[jazz]

Ono had another great game. We are consistently using her in the low post which is a change from having her at the elbow all game. She has this attitude to give her the ball and go to the hoop. Hope it continues.

DJ had a good game as well. I'm not sure NM is getting the credit she deserves here for the play she has had since coming back. It wasn't long ago that everybody thought she was 'slow'. I've always said that I'd never say she was especially quick but I wouldn't call her slow either. I think she isn't sitting on the opposition's first move as hard as she used to, and therefore can change directions a better. She still got beat by Park-lane a couple times, but tell me who doesn't get beat by park-lane. NM also made her presence felt on the boards and continues to play good D and do a good job of bring the ball up. Most impressive is that she is making good decisions with the ball as well. Decision making is huge for any point and NM is doing very well in this regard. She gave a good floor game and workman like player. Then she hits a few threes as well. That is really rare to have that good of a backup point on your team.

CD was off again from three but at least 4 of those shots she will never take when PB and company return. I will say again, this is the least of my worries. I am confident she will drain open threes once she can settle into the third option. Smart, fearless player and getting better at just being a BB player. Liked the early move to get the foul at the low post. Reminded me of adrian dantely. I am afraid she will struggle against SC but that is coming fast and we will see.

Terrific defense by the team and they were exception on the offensive glass. They are really switching and communicating well. That is saying a lot when you are down both your starting guards!

 

[Charliebball]

Thanks @Charliebball for the response.
To answer your question, I think Geno's comments to the Team were something like:
Great Team Game.... You exercised the Game Plan as intended.... You communicated great... You made good decisions with the ball and on defense. You made it very hard for them to do what they wanted to do and what they are good at... You held them under 40 points... You held their top 2 scorers to almost nothing to the point they really weren't a factor. Congrats on the Win! Now, having said that, we can't be satisfied...we need to keep improving, every day, every practice, every game. We need to play with the players we have and keep our focus on the next game...then the next game, and so on. When we get Paige, Chrysten and Azzi back we will see how that will impact our game plan. But until they can contribute, You are who we have to put out on the floor. Continue play like you did today and to rise to the occasion each and every game and we'll see what happens....but I like our chances.

I was a baseball Dad. My son played from Tee Ball (4yrs old) through high level High School Baseball in Tidewater, Virginia, and Babe Ruth baseball going to the World Series Championship, ending up 2nd in the Country. In high school he played against David Wright (NY Mets 3rd Baseman for many years), a guy named Clayton Rapada (pitcher for NY Yankees and a few other teams for a few years) and more. His High School Team won their District his Junior Year [my son hit a walk off homerun in extra innings vs David Wright's HS Team... Now that was really Cool!!!]... took 2nd in the regional tournament and went to the VA State Tournament. Over those 14 years I was often the Coach or Assistant Coach of his teams in local little league, etc. There were games when we got knocked down pretty hard (like the Oregon game). And there were games when we put the whuppin' on some teams that were not all that good. My son and I always talked about what went well and not so well. And we talked about what he could do better to help the team. He knew when a team was weaker, but he always had suggestions and ideas for how He could do better in future games. This often led to me throwing hours and hours of batting practice to him...contributing in a big way to the arthritis in my throwing shoulder that I enjoy now as an old "ex-coach".

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......

 

[SVCBeercats]

Olivia has finally, after almost four seasons, learned not to put the ball on the floor while making a post move. What a difference proper form makes. Maybe Dorka’s example has rubbed off on her. She is so much better with just that adjustment.

Coach Dorka is doing a good job helping Liv. Mow if Coach Dorka can help Liv learn a jump hook. Wonder why it took Dorka do little time to teach Liv when Geno and CD have had 3.5 years of failure?

 

[Huskee11]

Piath did a nice job getting position down low. She also ran the court well and got a putback basket due to her hustle. She draws fouls.

I think she may be further along offensively than defensively. The team plays zone defense only when she is in the game.

Against Xavier, she wasn`t getting to the shooter at the foul line and they made a few over her. She seemed to challenge the shooters a bit more last night but she needs to learn to anticipate where the ball is going better. She has very long arms and should be able to alter those shots.