UConn came into Saturday’s game against Seton Hall slightly favored and looking to make a statement win after an 11-day layoff. Instead, the Huskies came out flat and struggled mightilly on both ends, going on to lose 80-73, the team’s third in four games.
UConn (8-4, 5-4 in Big East) couldn’t contain the Pirates (11-8, 8-5) on offense for much on the of the first half and struggled shooting the ball, eventually falling behind 36-18 with 4:02 remaining in the first half. UConn righted the ship in the final minutes of the half, going on an 11-2 run to cut the deficit to 38-29 going into the locker room. The offense stayed hot at the start of the second half, opening it with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two at 38-36. Seton Hall didn’t flinch however, making a few impressive baskets to go back up by 10 with 14:11 remaining. From there, the Huskies cut the deficit to four at a few points, but the Pirates offense continued to be overwhelming and UConn could not keep up.
Sandro Mamukelashvili led the way for Seton Hall, recording 22 points and seven rebounds. The senior got to the foul line 12 times, making 10 shots. The Pirates offense was very balanced, with Myles Cale (2o points and 3-6 on 3-pointers) Jared Rhoden (12 points on 4-9 shooting) finishing in double figures. Seton Hall shot 50 percent overall and went 9-18 from beyond the arc and 27-31 from the line.
Jalen Gaffney had his best offensive game of the season for UConn, scoring 20 points on 5-11 shooting and going 8-9 from the line, and freshman guard Andre Jackson was exciting to watch in his first game back from injury, scoring seven points and grabbing four rebounds in 20 minutes. R.J. Cole and Adama Sanogo both scored 12 points, and Tyrese Martin had 10 and six rebounds. As a team, the Huskies shot 47.9% overall but went 6-19 from three. They struggled on the boards, as Seton Hall outrebounded UConn 28-23.
The Huskies got great news before the game, as it was announced that James Bouknight will likely be back for the next game against Providence on Wednesday (he is officially a game-time decision), and coupled with the skill Jackson showed on Saturday, UConn should definitely be more dynamic on offense and likely defense going forward. With the loss, however, the team is now firmly on the bubble to make the NCCA tournament, and needs to get back on track immediately.
Below are my observations on the loss to Seton Hall and the team’s performance:
UConn’s defense was helpless to stop Seton Hall for much of the game
Before I jump on the Huskies defense, I will give the Pirates players a ton of credit. Their offense played out of its mind for much of the game, collectively shooting 50%/50%/87% overall, on 3-pointers, and from the line. Seton Hall made a ton of challenging shots and their players consistently passed the ball well, with UConn defenders frequently out of position as a result. The Pirates mixed up their playing style, dominating the perimeter in the first half and then attacking the basket and consistently drawing fouls in the game’s final minutes.
Now to UConn’s defensive performance: It was extremely poor and definitely the worst the Huskies have had this season. They looked a step slow from start to finish and could not handle the Pirates size and strength inside and quality ball movement. UConn chose to double players too much and were burned for it, as it lead to open shots on the perimeter and good looks at the rim. Whenever Seton Hall drove the ball. especially in the second half, it seemed to either get an easy basket or fouled, leading to two points. My hope was that the Huskies big men would be able to keep Seton Hall off the boards and limit their scoring opportunities, but instead UConn was outrebounded and none of the bigs had a particularly effective game defensively. What was particularly frustrating was seeing Seton Hall’s players regularly beat UConn’s to loose balls and get key second-change scoring opportunities.
While the Seton Hall loss was an abberation to some extent (teams almost never shoot that well throughout a game), UConn’s defensive performance in general has lagged over the last few games. In the losses, the opponents shot above or just under 50%, and made more than half of their 2-pointers. While multiple defenders are still playing well the team defense as a whole has slipped. Combined with the Huskies facing tougher opponents and not rebounding as a well, this could help make almost every game a tossup. I think the return of Bouknight can help the defense be more efficient, but the lineups may have to be juggled if the defense continues to be inconsistent. I’m knowledgeable enough to say what the best combinations could be at this time.
UConn’s most experienced players continue to not play well
The quartet of Isiah Whaley, Tyler Polley, Josh Carlton and Brendan Adams have beeen integral members of the Huskies for three seasons now, and have each played well at times this season, especially Whaley and Polley. Over the last four games however,this group has heavily struggled, especially on the offensive end.
Whaley, who played 30 or more minutes in each of these games, has averaged 6.8 points on just 35.7% shooting in the stretch, and had just seven rebounds over the last two games. He does continue to protect the rim well, as he’s averaged four blocks. Whaley had probably his worst performance of the season on Saturday, recording just two points and two rebounds in 30 minutes. He continues to miss shots around the rim, and struggled on defense at times against Seton Hall (Hurley’s insistence on having the bigs defend players at the top of the key does not help, as it draws them away from defending the paint). He also struggled to beat the Pirates bigs to rebounds on Sunday and did not seem to consistently play with a high energy, something that has been a problem at times this season for Whaley. After how he ended the season last year and the high expectations coming in, it’s clear that Whaley has been a slight disappointment up to this point. 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds in roughly 29 minutes a game isn’t going to cut it, even with the 2.9 blocks.
Polley has completely disappeared on offense the last four games, averaging just five points on 29.2% shooting, including 4-17 on 3-pointers. Polley has also not been to the free throw line in the last three games. Against Seton Hall, Polley scored five points in 16 minutes and went 1-3 from behind the arc. It’s hard to blame Polley too much for his recent struggles shooting from three. Without Bouknight there to help stretch the floor and open up the offense, defenders can constantly faceguard Polley and make sure he almost never gets open looks. The return of Bouknight should help Polley immensely, as would UConn running more off the ball screens to get him open from three.
That being said, Polley is not scoring from inside the arc or getting to the line at all, and he continues to contribute almost nothing on the boards or with generating scoring opportunities for teammates. Coupled with his poor defense, Polley is contributing very little to the Huskies right now. I think he can get back on track on offense and have a few more games where he shoots great (Polley is still shooting 38.5% on threes), but Polley needs to find someway to improve on defense, or he’s not going to get many minutes no matter what.
Meanwhile, I feel bad for Josh Carlton. He has not had either double-digit points or rebounds since the start of January, nor played over 15 minutes in a game. In the last four contests, Carlton has gone scoreless twice (against St. John’s and Seton Hall) and recorded a combined eight points and 12 rebounds. He played just five minutes against Seton Hall, and is now averaging 3.7 points and 4.4 rebounds in just 13.3 minutes. Carlton has struggled to score and avoid foul trouble, and it’s clear that with the emergence of Sanogo and return of Bouknight and Jackson that he will be at the end of the bench.
Finally, Brendan Adams has stepped up with Bouknight out and given UConn valuable efforts and minutes. However, it is clear that he has been carrying too much of a load and its been cataching up with him. Adams has averaged just five points (he had five against Seton Hall) over the last four games while shooting 5-21. He got off too a terrible start against Seton Hall and lost minutes to Jackson, eventually playing just 16 minutes, his second lowest total of the season. Adams also had just one assist, the first time he has not had multiple assists in a game since December 30th. Adams should play a lot less with Bouknight and Jackson out, and can return to his well-suited role of a backup who can provide good ball handling and solid defense.
The three seniors and Adams may not be as athletic or versatile as as UConn’s yonger players or first-year transfers, but they must play at a higher level nonetheless. The Huskies need the group and especially Whaley and Polley to play more consistently and at a higher level of intensity to ensure an NCAA tournament bid. This is the group’s moment. Now they need to step up as leaders and earn it.
Jalen Gaffney comes alive on offense
Gaffney had shown some flashes in the previous two games, scoring a combined 12 points and shooting 4-7 from three against Creighton and Butler while adding five assists. I certainly wasn’t expecting Gaffney to have a huge game against Seton Hall, but he proved me wrong. The sophomore scored a career-high 20 points while shooting 5-11 overall and going 8-9 at the line, and added two assists and steals. Gaffney showed a ton of confidence, and made multiple challenging shots. He was able to consistently drive to the rim and find a way to score, and helped make sure UConn stayed in the game in the second half.
This game was a great snapshot of how dynamic Gaffney can be when he goes at opponents. He likely saw that no teammates were stepping up and instead of shying away, took the reins of the offense. Gaffney is quicker and then Cole and Adams and needs to take advantage of these abilities. It was awesome to see Gaffney play with no hesitation, and it needs to continue even with Bouknight back. Gaffney definitely had a long way to go to be a strong defender, but he has earned more minutes. Hopefully he keeps playing up to his potential the rest of the season.
Andre Jackson makes an immediate impact
Myself and others didn’t know what UConn would get from Jackson against Seton Hall in his first game since Dec. 20th after the freshman broke his left wrist. The answer was energy, athleticism and confidence. Jackson made his presence felt once he got going late in the first half, grabbing a few key rebounds and scoring four quick points. Two of these were a one-handed putback dunk, one of the most memorable baskets of the season so far. Along with Gaffney, Jackson helped the Huskies finally get on track and cut into the Pirates big lead so that they trailed by only single digits at halftime. Jackson missed a few rotations on defense, but his length also bothered Seton Hall ball handlers. He hit a 3-pointer in the second half and ultimatelly finished with seven points, four rebounds and a steal in 20 minutes of play.
In his previous four games this season, Jackson had frequently looked unconfident. That wasn’t a problem for one second against Seton Hall. Jackson was involved on every play on both ends, and his passing and rebounding helped lift his teammates to play better. Jackson still visibly lacks discipline on defense, and he will be inconsistent on offense like any other freshman. If Jackson continues to work hard in practice and play all-out in games though, I am confident that he will give UConn at least a few high-impact plays every contest.
UConn starts a new chapter on Wednesday against Providence
Having Bouknight back is going to make UConn waay, way better. As long as their star doesn’t have any more health issues, he can help the team be more efficient on both ends of the court. Players like Polley and Cole can have some pressure taken off of them and could flourish by having better opportunities to use their skill set (like Polley shooting from three), and Sanogo and Jackson will benefit from the scoring opportunities Bouknight generates for them. His return will make it much harder for opposing teams to game plan for facing the Huskies, and I am very confident UConn will win most of its remaining games and make the NCAA tournament.
That being said, the UConn players and Hurley need to recognize that having James Bouknight won’t automatically solve all their issues. The Huskies need to focus on pushing one another and getting better in all phases of the game. They cannot start games lackadasical or bring poor effort against any opponent, especially considering how deep of a league the Big East is. In particular, the seniors need to push themselves to take on leadership roles and make the most out of their final seasons. It is going to be fun to see what happens down the stretch.
HUSKY NATION 