Seton Hall Scouting Report

[Hey Adrien!]

Seton Hall: 11-8
Kenpom Rating: 55
Non-Con Strength of Schedule: 5th​

Best wins:

• 88-66 v #61 St. John’s
  • Four Pirates w/ 14+ points, led by Dawes’ 22 points on 5-10 from 3
• 45-43 at #14 Rutgers
  • Held Rutgers to 34.6 2p%, 29.4 3p% and 19 turnovers

Worst loss:

• 55-60 hosting #163 Siena
  • Seton Hall was 1-9 from 3

Winners of three straight: Butler, Georgetown, DePaul, four of their last five after losing six of their last eight.

OFFENSE: 114th in efficiency

• 14th in FTA/FGA (42.0%)
• 78th in offensive rebounding rate (32.3%)
• 120th in offensive tempo (17 seconds/possession)
• 147th in A/FGM (52.1%)
• 185th in 2p% (49.8%)
• 269th in 3p% (31.8%)
• 274th in 3PA/FGA (34.3%)
• 302nd in turnover ratio (20.9%!!)

DEFENSE: 17th in efficiency

• 9th in 3p% (28.0%)
• 56th in block % (11.8%)
• 58th in steal % (11.2%)
• 86th in 2p% (47.1%)
• 133rd in 3PA/FGA (36.4%)
• 192nd in FTA/FGA (31.3%)
• 232nd in defensive rebounding rate (29.9%)
• 283rd in A/FGM (55.6%)

Other fun facts:

• 22nd in D1 experience (2.92 years average)
• 41st in D1 bench minutes (37.5%)
• 25 bench points per game leads Big East
• Seton Hall is 11-1 when they keep their opponent under 70 points, 0-7 when they don’t.

Further reading: My season preview of Seton Hall written in late June.

What’s interesting about these metrics is that Seton Hall’s offense looks pretty similar to Kevin Willard’s last few teams in South Orange: play physically, attack the rim and sometimes, the best offense comes off an offensive rebound.

An extra wrinkle to how the offense looks now with Holloway: they give up a ton of turnovers. In fact, seven of Seton Hall’s rotation players have A/TO ratios less than 1.0, which does not include Kadary Richmond who gives up a team high 2.3 turnovers/game. Considering that UConn is 59th in the nation at defensive turnover rate, the Huskies are primed to take advantage of transition offense opportunities and finish with its first game leading the turnover ratio since the Creigton game.

No surprise that a Shaheen Holloway coached team is defensively elite. Not only does Holloway focus on D, but he now has even better athletes and length than what he rostered at Saint Peter’s (Seton Hall is the 54th tallest team in the nation and most of Seton Hall’s rotations feature four 6’6+ defenders.)

​

Rotation splits via KenPom.com

One thing that should bring UConn fan’s solace: UConn has bigger and/or better defensive guards to match up with Richmond after he dumped 27 points last season (I was in the building, to my demise) bullying defenders in the low post.

One surprising aspect of Holloway’s rotations from looking above: it’s almost like he runs separate offensive and defensive rotations. The starting lineup of Richmond/Dawes/Odukale/Ndefo/Samuel is clearly their best defensive lineup, but then it seems like whenever Jackson (one of their worst defenders, he reminds me a bit of a bigger Tyler Polley) is playing the 5, Ndefo is also out and Harris usually subs in, which gives Seton Hall a better shooting team, but a much less effective defensive group.

What does this mean? To put it simply: when Samuel/Ndefo are both on the bench and Jackson is in, take advantage and FEED THE POST.

If you haven’t watched Ndefo play yet, you can’t help but be reminded of Isaiah Whaley: an elite energy defensive firecracker glue guy of a power forward. Ndefo isn’t a very good offensive player, but watching the Seton Hall @ DePaul game, most of his offense was on post-up attacks and he’s got some creativity down low.

For Uconn, I’m curious if Hurley would try a Calcaterra/Hawkins/Jackson/Karaban/Sanogo starting lineup.

Why?

Even though Seton Hall has incredible metrics defending the perimeter, UConn should not be comfortable centering their offensive attack around Sanogo or Clingan, especially with Samuel and Ndefo’s ability to swarm opponents near the basket. Seton Hall is elite at preventing free throw attempts, so Newton’s offensive strength would be neutralized.

Calcaterra is a better shooter and has a turnover rate 6% lower than Newton’s, so he’d likely be a safer, more controlled stretch-the-floor option. On D, he matches up well with Dawes, an elite shooter, but easy to track since he does almost all of his work on the perimeter. That leaves Jackson to focus on Richmond, Sanogo on Samuel, Karaban on Ndefo, and Hawkins on Odukale.

Honestly, if there were a game to give Newton minimal minutes, especially after his performance at St. John’s, Seton Hall makes the most sense especially since UConn follows up this game with a much less defensively stout Butler to help get him back on track.

KenPom’s prediction: UConn wins 69-65.

If you wanted to share this report with any non-Boneyarders, here's a link to my blog:

Seton Hall Scouting Report Prior Their Wednesday Matchup Hosting UConn

stretchingthefloor.blogspot.com

Looking forward to a chance to regroup against another physical team!

 

[gtcam]

Thanks HEYA
Hope you're feeling better at the gym
The KenPom score is disturbing
I know a lot of folks on this board say Holloway isn't a good coach but I happen to say BS to that - the guy is a great observer of the game and he is an active in game coach - knows the Xs and Os - once he gets his team there he will be a winner

 

[August_West]

Calcaterra is a better shooter and has a turnover rate 6% lower than Newton’s, so he’d likely be a safer, more controlled stretch-the-floor option. On D, he matches up well with Dawes, an elite shooter, but easy to track since he does almost all of his work on the perimeter. That leaves Jackson to focus on Richmond, Sanogo on Samuel, Karaban on Ndefo, and Hawkins on Odukale.

Agree with that offensively , but then you are giving up a piece of your "bigger guards that won't be pushed around by Richmond" deal.

Still I'll live it it because Newton is pretty much useless on both ends. .

 

[Hunt for 7]

Any news on Samson playing tomorrow night?

 

[UConn Esq]

I got my tickets... sitting behind the bench!

 

[tykurez]

My current frame of mind reads this as a team that can shut down our “offense” while also getting to the line with ease. Ugh.

 

[ValleyGuy]

Great report as always! Perfect team to take frustration out on. UConn hit a brick wall Sunday and looked gassed. I believe with students coming back on campus and Samson potentially coming back will energize this team.

Hurley will make an adjustment. If you look over the college basketball landscape there isn’t a team I would be afraid of on a neutral court. Perhaps wouldn’t want to play Bama again, but everyone is very beatable. This is the best time to hit a lull. They will bounce back, everyone be patient.

Seton Hall might be in real deep trouble tomorrow. Let’s go huskies!

 

[Hey Adrien!]

 

[AntG168]

That adds a wrinkle

 

[MTBingNinja]

Jesus, no easy wins. Let’s get after it!

 

[Scrutineer]

Seton Hall: 11-8
Kenpom Rating: 55
Non-Con Strength of Schedule: 5th​

Best wins:

• 88-66 v #61 St. John’s
  • Four Pirates w/ 14+ points, led by Dawes’ 22 points on 5-10 from 3
• 45-43 at #14 Rutgers
  • Held Rutgers to 34.6 2p%, 29.4 3p% and 19 turnovers

Worst loss:

• 55-60 hosting #163 Siena
  • Seton Hall was 1-9 from 3

Winners of three straight: Butler, Georgetown, DePaul, four of their last five after losing six of their last eight.

OFFENSE: 114th in efficiency

• 14th in FTA/FGA (42.0%)
• 78th in offensive rebounding rate (32.3%)
• 120th in offensive tempo (17 seconds/possession)
• 147th in A/FGM (52.1%)
• 185th in 2p% (49.8%)
• 269th in 3p% (31.8%)
• 274th in 3PA/FGA (34.3%)
• 302nd in turnover ratio (20.9%!!)

DEFENSE: 17th in efficiency

• 9th in 3p% (28.0%)
• 56th in block % (11.8%)
• 58th in steal % (11.2%)
• 86th in 2p% (47.1%)
• 133rd in 3PA/FGA (36.4%)
• 192nd in FTA/FGA (31.3%)
• 232nd in defensive rebounding rate (29.9%)
• 283rd in A/FGM (55.6%)

Other fun facts:

• 22nd in D1 experience (2.92 years average)
• 41st in D1 bench minutes (37.5%)
• 25 bench points per game leads Big East
• Seton Hall is 11-1 when they keep their opponent under 70 points, 0-7 when they don’t.

Further reading: My season preview of Seton Hall written in late June.

What’s interesting about these metrics is that Seton Hall’s offense looks pretty similar to Kevin Willard’s last few teams in South Orange: play physically, attack the rim and sometimes, the best offense comes off an offensive rebound.

An extra wrinkle to how the offense looks now with Holloway: they give up a ton of turnovers. In fact, seven of Seton Hall’s rotation players have A/TO ratios less than 1.0, which does not include Kadary Richmond who gives up a team high 2.3 turnovers/game. Considering that UConn is 59th in the nation at defensive turnover rate, the Huskies are primed to take advantage of transition offense opportunities and finish with its first game leading the turnover ratio since the Creigton game.

No surprise that a Shaheen Holloway coached team is defensively elite. Not only does Holloway focus on D, but he now has even better athletes and length than what he rostered at Saint Peter’s (Seton Hall is the 54th tallest team in the nation and most of Seton Hall’s rotations feature four 6’6+ defenders.)

​

Rotation splits via KenPom.com

One thing that should bring UConn fan’s solace: UConn has bigger and/or better defensive guards to match up with Richmond after he dumped 27 points last season (I was in the building, to my demise) bullying defenders in the low post.

One surprising aspect of Holloway’s rotations from looking above: it’s almost like he runs separate offensive and defensive rotations. The starting lineup of Richmond/Dawes/Odukale/Ndefo/Samuel is clearly their best defensive lineup, but then it seems like whenever Jackson (one of their worst defenders, he reminds me a bit of a bigger Tyler Polley) is playing the 5, Ndefo is also out and Harris usually subs in, which gives Seton Hall a better shooting team, but a much less effective defensive group.

What does this mean? To put it simply: when Samuel/Ndefo are both on the bench and Jackson is in, take advantage and FEED THE POST.

If you haven’t watched Ndefo play yet, you can’t help but be reminded of Isaiah Whaley: an elite energy defensive firecracker glue guy of a power forward. Ndefo isn’t a very good offensive player, but watching the Seton Hall @ DePaul game, most of his offense was on post-up attacks and he’s got some creativity down low.

For Uconn, I’m curious if Hurley would try a Calcaterra/Hawkins/Jackson/Karaban/Sanogo starting lineup.

Why?

Even though Seton Hall has incredible metrics defending the perimeter, UConn should not be comfortable centering their offensive attack around Sanogo or Clingan, especially with Samuel and Ndefo’s ability to swarm opponents near the basket. Seton Hall is elite at preventing free throw attempts, so Newton’s offensive strength would be neutralized.

Calcaterra is a better shooter and has a turnover rate 6% lower than Newton’s, so he’d likely be a safer, more controlled stretch-the-floor option. On D, he matches up well with Dawes, an elite shooter, but easy to track since he does almost all of his work on the perimeter. That leaves Jackson to focus on Richmond, Sanogo on Samuel, Karaban on Ndefo, and Hawkins on Odukale.

Honestly, if there were a game to give Newton minimal minutes, especially after his performance at St. John’s, Seton Hall makes the most sense especially since UConn follows up this game with a much less defensively stout Butler to help get him back on track.

KenPom’s prediction: UConn wins 69-65.

If you wanted to share this report with any non-Boneyarders, here's a link to my blog:

Seton Hall Scouting Report Prior Their Wednesday Matchup Hosting UConn

stretchingthefloor.blogspot.com

Looking forward to a chance to regroup against another physical team!

If we don't win I'm blaming you because it will mean you have no credibility with the coaches and I'm wasting my time........

 

[Billy Jack]

Some great points in this review. For example, SH turns the ball over 14.5 times per game. We turn teams over 14.9 times per game. This seems like a real advantage for us to exploit.

Another advantage is their 31.4% 3-point shooting. As everyone here knows, our D is designed to stop the 3 and we do that reall well - 6th best in the country vs the 3.

Finally, SH shoots FTs at a 67.9%, which is very poor. Our guys should be able to play aggressive D without worrying too much about getting burned at the line.

I expect this to be a close game, but it won’t surprise me if we’re able to exploit SH weaknesses and gain the upper hand.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Here's the updated report!

Seton Hall: 11-8
Kenpom Rating: (down from #55 last matchup)
8-3 in the last 11 games​

OFFENSE: (165th in the nation, 114th last matchup)

Big East rankings

• 1st in getting to the line (37.0 FTA/FGA)
• 5th in
  • Offensive rebounding rate
  • 49.0 2p%
• 6th in offensive tempo (17.6 seconds/possession)
• 7th in 3PA/FGA (31.3%)
• 8th in 33.3 3p%
• 9th in 50.6% A/FGM
• 10th in 67.9 ft%
• Last in turnover ratio (19.2%)

DEFENSE: (15th in the nation, 17th last matchup)

Big East rankings

• 1st in block percentage
• 2nd in steal percentage
• 3rd in
  • 48.8 2p%, 32.3 3p%
• 6th in FTA/FGA (29.1 FTA/FGA)
• 8th in
  • Opponents’ average length of possession (17.4 seconds)
  • 3PA/FGA prevention (37.2%)
  • A/FGA prevention (58.4%)

Injuries:

• Alexis Yetna (hasn’t played all season due to a knee issue)
• Dre Davis (missed last games with an ankle injury)

Seton Hall has been more of the same since we last matched up: expect a very aggressive Shaheen Holloway defense that aims to start their offense by first generating turnovers. That being said, they are pretty awful in the halfcourt, relying mostly on attacking the basket to generate foul shot opportunities, Richmond iso plays and Dawes as a deadly perimeter piece.

UConn’s biggest issue last game was a 39.4 2p% and a whopping 18 turnovers (four Huskies with 3 turnovers apiece).

Considering Seton Hall’s propensity to generate turnovers, this is a very reasonable game to give Alleyne more playing time over Jackson. Hawkins/Alleyne/Karaban at the 2-4 provide an ultra-efficient lineup that combines our guards/wings with the lowest turnover ratios.

Seton Hall’s Top Performers over the last 30 days:

• Al-Amir Dawes: 14.3p, 2.6 3PM, 1.9s
• Kadary Richmond: 12.6p, 5.6r, 4.4a, 2.3s
• KD Ndefo: 8.5p, 4.8r, 1.6s, 1.9b
• Tyrese Samuel: 10.4p, 5.3r, 1.3s, 1.0b

 

[auror]

Force them into 3's, play solid D without fouling, clean up the glass, and take care of the ball on offense and we win.

 

[Umami Zen]

Force them into 3's, play solid D without fouling, clean up the glass, and take care of the ball on offense and we win.

All true-- Would also be nice to keep the ball out of Richmond's hands as much as possible to limit his iso action in the paint

 

[Palatine]

If we get up 14 points, don't start throwing the ball away.

 

[Hunt for 7]

As with every game this year we will win if we play good defense, make shots and minimize the turnovers. For some reason I think AJ is going to have a big game. Not sure why I feel like that but I am thinking he is going to make a few shots and get some nice dunks maybe a few steals as well.

 

[aburks41]

If we get up 14 points, don't start throwing the ball away.

17…

Still baffled by that loss

 

[Billy Jack]

For all the talk in these two scouting reports about Seton Hall’s propensity for forcing turnovers, there is no mention of the fact that the Hall themselves turns the ball over a lot. A real lot. They average 14.2 TO per game, which ranks 51st in the country out of 352 teams. That is also the highest full season rate of TOs of any team in the country.

In our last game vs SHU, we had 17 TOs while they had only 9. There would seem to be room for improvement in both of these numbers.

 

[Punkbo]

SHU is horribly inefficient on the offensive end against better competition. Of course, we gave up 40+ to them in the second half of the last game. I guess that’s what happens when you treat the ball like a hot potato. Not one of our prouder moments. We should beat them handily at home. Need this one bad.

 

[CTBasketball]

SHU is horribly inefficient on the offensive end against better competition. Of course, we gave up 40+ to them in the second half of the last game. I guess that’s what happens when you treat the ball like a hot potato. Not one of our prouder moments. We should beat them handily at home. Need this one bad.

Get me the 5 seed in NYC so I can actually enjoy a Thursday night dinner!

 

[huskyharry]

Limit fouls by limiting their guard’s penetration. Throw in a 2-3 zone sometimes to help this. Secure the defensive rebounds by boxing out (especially Nfefo) and playing DC more.
Force turnovers by using some press.

Make the layups.
1 point win in overtime would be awesome. We are doomed, DOOMED for sure!