Seton Hall post-game thread [merged thread]]

[ABCDFE]

Even though the team won by 25, the eye test shows the team has a ways to go. After returning every starter and adding a touted freshman class, I’m not sure I see any improvement from anyone other than Paige. In fact it seems we’ve seen some regression. What is alarming to me is the defense doesn’t seem to be at the level we saw late last season and Evina supposedly is a Year healthier and we’ve added Dorka. I’m hoping that we will get back to that defensive intensity. Not enough players showing passion except for Paige.

• Paige - everything to this team again. She’s there best offensive player and is now arguably their best defensive player. SIGH
• CW - stats are fine. But the eye test tells me she’s still unreliable. I just hope she can get back to that top defender mentality again because right now I don’t see it. She needs to be the lockdown defender and only take drives, mid range and the occasional three. If she shoots too many long range jumpers we are in trouble.
• Liv - I think she’s actually played pretty decent. By now we know Liv can pass from the elbow, hit a few elbow jumpers and get a couple of post moves on lesser talent. The problem is once we play better competition how do we get enough points from our post.
• AE - I thought she played better than previous games obviously, but something is still off about her this year. She doesn’t seem as forceful or fluid in the offense. Not sure why but seems a step slow offensively and defensively this year. Also too many over the back rebounds for my liking.
• Evina - tough game. She should’ve drive more and used her tear drop or short pull-up. Relied to much on jump shots today.
• Dorka - rebounded well. Was solid. But disappointed in her offensive skill set around the basket. Also defensively seems to play shorter than her height.
• Nika - blah. She tries hard but she reminds me of the early Nika last year, which wasn’t very good. Poor decision making on offense and jump shot is non existent. To me if we are going to get anywhere, we need Evina, Nika, AE and CW to play like they did at the end of last year.
• Caroline - tremendously bad. I thought she was the worst player on both teams.
• Azzi - we need her. Just her ability to hit a shot and force the defense to be honest if she’s in the game with Paige will make all the difference for us. I truly believe she is the key for us to even have a shot at a Natty.

 

[JellyBean]

Does this team look a bit like the 2019-20 team? Except replace Crystal Dangerfield with Paige Bueckers?

Pretty similar.

 

[BBallF]

I just got home from the game. I have several comments none of which are new to the BY but they just became more acutely noticeable tonight:

1) Paige is truly great. When you see her in a smaller venue like Walsh you see her incredibly high basketball IQ on full display. Her anticipation on defense is extraordinary.

2) CW does not touch the ball enough in the right places in the offense. She is a serious offensive threat everytime she touches the ball in the right position. Touching it 30 feet away on the top weave doesn't accomplish that. There are no clear outs on the offense as it plays out, Geno is right about the lack of flow. After the first three guards touch the ball and it goes to a big, the offense seems to break down.

3) AE walked whenever she tries to drive. She shuffles both her feet at the same time. She does not make good decisions with the ball either. Honestly, I liked her better as 6th man.

4) We definitely need Azzi and Aubrey. Mir is a terrific timed leaper and so is Aubrey and we need that and Aubrey's floor game and defense too.

5) This team is still forming. Odd to say that considering all the starters and the 6th man from last year are back. The most effective offense of the night was to begin the second half when Geno pounded it underneath. Then we stopped. No real cohesiveness.

6) Caroline was overwhelmed out there. She was 6th man but was not up to the task. She is constantly looking at the bench to see if she's coming out. Cannot play like that.

7) Nika played tough on defense but used her hands too much and got into foul trouble. I watched her carefully shoot 3s before the game. I got there 30 minutes early. She didn't miss. Same with Evina. You saw what happened. If Nika gets in the lane she turns and goes back. The one time she was under she couldn't finish.

 

[BobbyJ]

Well not much to say. Everybody in this thread has said it. I will say its our 5th game with a long layoff. Our seniors will step it up. We had 4 players in double digits and Dorka had 10 rebounds. When your working on new things especially with 9 freshman and sophs its gonna get ugly before it gets pretty. We've got the talent now we have to wait for it to develop.

Those seniors have trouble running the offense they've been in for 3 years against Seton Hall. That's Seton Hall. They have no excuses, they're seniors and not working on anything new, they're regressing and 5-6 years ago Auriemma wouldn't have stood for it. Now he's stuck and has nobody behind them that can play yet.

 

[Dokey]

If you are looking for the most overrated team in the country, it just might well be UConn. That heralded depth is pretty shallow.

 

[BBallF]

9) Perhaps it is just early in the season but this team has a long way to go.

10) We need drives and pull ups by our core 3 guards and for that we need an open lane not clogged by bigs. AE is a poor passer. Liv is better but the bigs have to move more on offense.

11) I know the stats looked good on defense but we just are not a machine now.

12) Perhaps the ND game will give us much needed improvement, individually and as a team.

 

[Plebe]

Does this team look a bit like the 2019-20 team? Except replace Crystal Dangerfield with Paige Bueckers?

No.

 

[victor64]

If you are looking for the most overrated team in the country, it just might well be UConn. That heralded depth is pretty shallow.

I watched all the other top ranked teams play this year. Other than South Carolina, everybody else is struggling. Borderline unwatchable.
Stanford has almost everybody back and they have lost twice. UConn is struggling but they are not the most overrated team in the country.

Did you watch Iowa and Duke? Caitlin Clark could not throw it in the ocean.

 

[Plebe]

I'm not sure I agree.

Fordham beat Seton Hall soundly in Walsh Gym, in a game that was only slightly closer than this one, and Espinoza-Hunter played that game.

Fordham then lost to Notre Dame by 15.

I realize the transitive property has its limits, but I do believe the performance we saw tonight would not be enough against more than a handful of teams out there.

 

[JellyBean]

I blame the bad game performance on being off for 11 days and not being in game rhythm. Sure you are playing practice squad teams and against each other during that timeframe but having that game then day or two off then another game, gets your body and mind into a pattern. The team will be fine. Also folks were being negative on the post players for missing bunnies. Hello. I think that is the norm for a lot of post players this year. I have seen Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players) miss bunnies this year. Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally missing bunnies. Elissa (NC State) just the other night against Indiana, she missed some bunnies. It happens. A lot of Bigs and Littles are missing layups. I just believe that once our players get into that rhythm, things will get better. Tonight? It was all about the rust factor and not having a game rhythm. Sunday, game play will be much better. I hope

 

[Aluminny69]

*Based on Geno's comments earlier in the week, I wonder if NIL is effecting the team in the locker room.
*Paige, despite her NIL stuff, is filling up the stat sheet. Did not think it would evolve into a one person team. But it is getting there.
*Like many others have noted, this team has a different feel to it. Have no idea what I am seeing but I could be imagining things.
*Sunday will be fun.

I was thinking along the same lines. But first a couple minor corrections: it should be "affecting" the team, not effecting. and it should be "devolve" instead of evolve.

One has to wonder if Paige's million dollar contracts are subconscientiously affecting her teammates. They wouldn't be human if they weren't a little jealous. And remember, we have very little control over our subconcientious thoughts, unless Psychology has changed since I went to school. Then again, I could certainly be overanalyzing, just something to consider.

 

[ABCDFE]

I'm not sure I agree.

Fordham beat Seton Hall soundly in Walsh Gym, in a game that was only slightly closer than this one, and Espinoza-Hunter played that game.

Fordham then lost to Notre Dame by 15.

I realize the transitive property has its limits, but I do believe the the performance we saw tonight would not be enough against more than a handful of teams out there.

I have a feeling it will be a close game. I’m hoping our defense will rise to the occasion as our offense finds itself.

 

[Aluminny69]

Y'all are negative as hell. This is the fifth game! We will be ok!

So, is Geno being "negative as hell" also? Most posters are just reflecting Geno's thoughts.

 

[Postie]

Yes, but she’s playing every day against UConn in practice and Geno & Jamelle rave about her. She was the first player off the bench today, so I have to believe she earned that nod in practice. Her play so far has been baffling.

She was the first player off the bench because what is the alternative.Nika?Caroline was rated #5 in some Rating service.Part of the reason was her ranking was bumped up when she committed to UConn.She is nowhere in the same league as Sonia citron who was ranked in the top ten.Everyone should start paying less attention to these rankings.Right now Notre Dame freshman are clearly superior to UConn.Watch Miles and Cotton Sunday.

I was thinking along the same lines. But first a couple minor corrections: it should be "affecting" the team, not effecting. and it should be "devolve" instead of evolve.

One has to wonder if Paige's million dollar contracts are subconscientiously affecting her teammates. They wouldn't be human if they weren't a little jealous. And remember, we have very little control over our subconcientious thoughts, unless Psychology has changed since I went to school. Then again, I could certainly be overanalyzing, just something to consider.

Yes Paige is making some Cheddar from the NIL and she busting her ass on the court.Giving 100% driving for loose balls never taking place off the three seniors talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk.

I was thinking along the same lines. But first a couple minor corrections: it should be "affecting" the team, not effecting. and it should be "devolve" instead of evolve.

One has to wonder if Paige's million dollar contracts are subconscientiously affecting her teammates. They wouldn't be human if they weren't a little jealous. And remember, we have very little control over our subconcientious thoughts, unless Psychology has changed since I went to school. Then again, I could certainly be overanalyzing, just something to consider.

Yes Paige is making that big Cheddar from the NIL and She is also busting her ass on the court giving 100% driving for loose balls.The three seniors talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk

 

[ClifSpliffy]

I blame the bad game performance on being off for 11 days and not being in game rhythm. Sure you are playing practice squad teams and against each other during that timeframe but having that game then day or two off then another game, gets your body and mind into a pattern. The team will be fine. Also folks were being negative on the post players for missing bunnies. Hello. I think that is the norm for a lot of post players this year. I have seen Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players) miss bunnies this year. Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally missing bunnies. Elissa (NC State) just the other night against Indiana, she missed some bunnies. It happens. A lot of Bigs and Littles are missing layups. I just believe that once our players get into that rhythm, things will get better. Tonight? It was all about the rust factor and not having a game rhythm. Sunday, game play will be much better. I hope

'Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players)'
wait, if that is true (don't watch much other than geno's army), then why are soo many here bent out of shape over our prospects this season? if she's 'it' for queen of the wcbb post, then im liking our chances that much more. she's pretty good, but that's aboot it, pretty good, and far from great. i betcha paige steals the ball from her a few times, next time.

 

[D J B]

*Paige, despite her NIL stuff, is filling up the stat sheet. Did not think it would evolve into a one person team. But it is getting there.

What exactly does that mean?

 

[BBallF]

I blame the bad game performance on being off for 11 days and not being in game rhythm. Sure you are playing practice squad teams and against each other during that timeframe but having that game then day or two off then another game, gets your body and mind into a pattern. The team will be fine. Also folks were being negative on the post players for missing bunnies. Hello. I think that is the norm for a lot of post players this year. I have seen Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players) miss bunnies this year. Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally missing bunnies. Elissa (NC State) just the other night against Indiana, she missed some bunnies. It happens. A lot of Bigs and Littles are missing layups. I just believe that once our players get into that rhythm, things will get better. Tonight? It was all about the rust factor and not having a game rhythm. Sunday, game play will be much better. I hope

I think that had a lot to do with it. I sure hope so. There are certain issues that were not treated to rust though and I worry about them. Movement on offense, not enough touches for CW, Evina being too passive on offense, lack of focus by Caroline, to name a few. We shall see as you say.

 

[Dokey]

I watched all the other top ranked teams play this year. Other than South Carolina, everybody else is struggling. Borderline unwatchable.
Stanford has almost everybody back and they have lost twice. UConn is struggling but they are not the most overrated team in the country.

Did you watch Iowa and Duke? Caitlin Clark could not throw it in the ocean.

I will concede the point. Still....

 

[Dokey]

I blame the bad game performance on being off for 11 days and not being in game rhythm. Sure you are playing practice squad teams and against each other during that timeframe but having that game then day or two off then another game, gets your body and mind into a pattern. The team will be fine. Also folks were being negative on the post players for missing bunnies. Hello. I think that is the norm for a lot of post players this year. I have seen Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players) miss bunnies this year. Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally missing bunnies. Elissa (NC State) just the other night against Indiana, she missed some bunnies. It happens. A lot of Bigs and Littles are missing layups. I just believe that once our players get into that rhythm, things will get better. Tonight? It was all about the rust factor and not having a game rhythm. Sunday, game play will be much better. I hope

Elsewhere I said the light early schedule would hurt.

 

[Huskygamble19]

I don't think that people remembered what Geno said after his post game presser following the SC game. He said that he has never seen such a stubborn team..Welcome to 2021. Apparently they are not willing to be coached and want to do things their way. This could be true, but it could be telling the team to wake up and listen.

 

[ConwayGmck]

I blame the bad game performance on being off for 11 days and not being in game rhythm. Sure you are playing practice squad teams and against each other during that timeframe but having that game then day or two off then another game, gets your body and mind into a pattern. The team will be fine. Also folks were being negative on the post players for missing bunnies. Hello. I think that is the norm for a lot of post players this year. I have seen Aliyah Boston (Thee Elite of Elite Post Players) miss bunnies this year. Sedona Prince and Nyara Sabally missing bunnies. Elissa (NC State) just the other night against Indiana, she missed some bunnies. It happens. A lot of Bigs and Littles are missing layups. I just believe that once our players get into that rhythm, things will get better. Tonight? It was all about the rust factor and not having a game rhythm. Sunday, game play will be much better. I hope

Boston has been stepping up her game a bit lately: for the past 6 games she's shot 53-78 (.680) from the field, and has averaged 20.5 ppg. and 10.8 rpg. But yes missed layups have been a constant issue for Coach Staley's team of late......

 

[Cuango]

I’m sorry, but there is no way that ONO isn’t stronger now than when she first arrived on campus! Has she lived up to expectations? Clearly not, but perhaps the expectations were too high in the first place. She showed far more aggression, desire, and effort today. My concern is that they seem to be completely discombobulated on court and they have long periods where they seem to completely lose their focus! Even more puzzling to me is their inability to defend effectively! Defense has always been a given at UConn! While the stats show that we did better on defense today, it still is a long way from the well-oiled machines of the past. We also actually got some offensive rebounds today. Hopefully, the game will slow down soon for Caroline. She seems to be rushing everything! I am really pulling for her! On to ND!

 

[JoePgh]

I think a large number of posters are leaping to unfounded conclusions after this one game, and moreover are seeing only the negatives from the Seton Hall game and not the positives. Geno commented on the positives (good defense from start to finish, and better rebounding especially from Aaliyah Edwards). Did anyone notice that Park Lane was very well contained (unlike last year), and (I believe) got only one completed drive to the basket for a layup?

What about these statistics?

• UConn led by 50-12 in points in the paint
• UConn led by 26-9 in points off turnovers (despite those bad turnovers in the first quarter)
• UConn led by 19-0 in fast break points against a very fast team
• UConn led by 14-7 in offensive rebounds
• UConn players other than Paige shot 23-for-53 (43%), which equals 7 more made field goals than Seton Hall's entire team, which shot 16-for-58 (28%).

Regarding individual players:

• Evina did not shoot well but she played well (2 steals, 4 rebounds, 3 assists). She shot the 3-ball exceptionally well in all previous games. Tonight she was cold (it happens) and many posters have decided that she can't shoot.
• Christyn shot 8-for-16 and scored 17 points. Each of Seton Hall's three double-figure scorers needed at least 15 shots to score their points. Together, the three of them shot 15-for-47 (32%) -- hardly an efficient performance. And posters still think we should trade Christyn or Evina for Park Lane???
• Liv shot 5-for-10, had 3 assists, and (I believe) went 2-for-2 on midrange jump shots. When has she done that before?
• Aaliyah had 3 offensive rebounds (after having 1 in the previous 4 games), shot 6-for-11, and scored 12 points. Yes, she had 5 turnovers, but she stayed out of foul trouble and played 34 minutes. Overall, her best performance of this season.
• Nika and Caroline did not play very well in limited minutes. Nika played better than Caroline, as you would expect from someone who got a lot of minutes last year. But both of them had issues which (I think) are easily recognized as being due to not getting enough minutes in games to settle down and play the way they are capable (and apparently show in practice). It is a dilemma, because Geno can't give them more minutes without better productivity. But gradually they both will get more minutes and will show us the skill they obviously have.

I am optimistic about a double-digit margin of victory on Sunday based on tonight's performance by UConn (including Paige) and Notre Dame's performance last night in a 5-point win against Michigan State.

 

[Carnac]

TMaybe, but how can we be certain if he generally refuses to play anyone but the starters, and then rarely for more than a few minutes? Sometimes players show little in practice, but suddenly start to light it up in games; if this is true of someone on the bench, Geno's never going to find her.

I regularly check the box scores of certain teams. All of the top 10 teams, and every team in our conference. I look for two things, who did the bulk of the scoring, and how many reserves got in and the minutes they played. I also note how many points the bench contributed.