Don’t read too much into UConn loss, one way or the other
If you’ve come to read that Jalen Gaffney’s career-high 20 points — some off acrobatic James Bouknight-like drives — are proof he has arrived as an indispensable player in the 2020-21 season, you’ve parked in the wrong space.
If you’ve come to read that returning after six weeks with a broken wrist, freshman Andre Jackson’s hellacious one-handed put-back dunk is proof he is immediately one of the most exciting players in UConn history, sorry, wrong column.
And if you’ve come to read that freshman Adama Sanogo, continuing to develop his footwork and his touch, proved with a dozen points against 7-foot-2 shot-swatter Ike Obiagu that he will be a giant force in the Big East for the next four years, well, Flag-Blue Fanatic, not today. Not here.
Saturday was a mixed bag if there ever was one. Only a month before the Big East Tournament, this still is a puzzle without the fitted pieces.
There is a heap of things, some good, some bad, to sift through in UConn’s 80-73 loss to Seton Hall in front of the Ghost of Big East Past and no fans at Gampel Pavil
ion.
“It’s a weird feeling,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “Obviously, you’re crushed you lost, but all this is going on when we have two freshmen on the floor in crunch time against an older team that’s been through the wars. And we’re missing one of the best players in the country. When one of the best players in the country returns to the fold and we tighten up defensively, we’ve got great potential.”
Bouknight, whom Hurley said pushed the medical staff hard to let him play Saturday, will be a game-time decision Wednesday night against Providence.
You are permitted to be optimistic, even very optimistic about UConn’s future. You are NOT permitted to be silly about the present. Nor, on the flipside, to be distraught about Saturday. This was not a “jump off the deep end” loss.
Can you handle a mixed bag? Even a week into February?
This was a game where you saw. It was not a game where you know what it means for the rest of the season, let alone a player’s career.
Yes, it was an important game for UConn. It was an even more important one for Seton Hall.
You saw a UConn team that hadn’t played a game in 11 days because of a third COVID pause come out rusty, lacking rhythm and clang makeable shots in falling behind 18 points in the first 16 minutes. The Huskies couldn’t have played worse.
“That absolutely was a byproduct of having not played,” Hurley said. “It’s not an excuse. It’s just a reality.”
You saw Seton Hall, after two losses to Villanova and one to Creighton before its win over Providence, semidesperate for a substantial victory to keep its NCAA Tournament meter running. After this game, the Pirates, with 19 games under their belt, have only a game at St. John’s remaining for another potential Quadrant 1 victory.
“I challenged them after the (second) ’Nova loss,” Kevin Willard said. “I wanted them to play a little more angry.”
To their credit, the Pirates accepted their coach’s challenge.
You also saw UConn, 8-4 over a dozen wildly spaced games, essentially wipe out that 18-point lead, pulling within two after outscoring Seton Hall 11-2 to close the first half and 7-0 to open the second.
“What Dre did today was exciting,” Hurley said. “What Adama did today was exciting. What Gaffney did offensively today was exciting. We need more out of R.J. (Cole), Tyrese (Martin) and Isaiah (Whaley).”
It was Seton Hall’s older players, seniors like Sandro Mamukelashvili and Myles Cale, who played with the poise and maturity befitting their experience. From that point of 38-36, the Pirates answered every UConn challenge with a bucket or free throws.
“Individually, they just took us,” Hurley said. “We couldn’t guard them individually.”
Willard and Hurley, a Seton Hall alum, are like fallen wires in a hurricane. Approach either at your own risk during a game. Hurley or his bench, he couldn’t determine, picked up a secondhalf technical. They are a hoot to watch and listen to: Willard has especially seemed to enjoy poking UConn about their return to Big East, saying it sucks for Seton Hall and joking he voted against it.
Asked after the schools’ first meeting since 2013, however, Willard said: “Great! Phenomenal! It’s great to have them back in the league. We like having them back in the league … It’s phenomenal for the league. It’s phenomenal for everyone.”
Seton Hall, 19-45 all-time against the Huskies, hasn’t won at the XL Center since 1997 and hadn’t won at Gampel since 1992.
Willard said it was like an old Big East battle. Hurley said there was a lot of juice on the court and energy on the bench. What there wasn’t were fans to go crazy after the Jackson rushed in from the 3-point line to jam Gaffney’s miss and to push UConn all the way to a win.
Hurley said Gaffney had the best practice he’d ever seen him have a couple days ago. The sophomore guard showed some signs against Creighton and Butler, playing more confidently. He was downright assertive in this one.
“Jalen’s in a much better frame of mind,” Hurley said. “If you’d told me before the game we’d get 20 from him, seven from Dre and 12 from Adama, I’d probably say we’d win.”
But Gaffney is obviously not R.J. Cole on defense and he got broken down badly 1-on-1 by Shakar Reynolds on a vital basket late in the game.
“Jalen showed the offensive potential that we’ve been hoping to see that was really encouraging,” Hurley said. “He played well enough offensively to be in the game, but defensively like a number of guys he played poorly enough to lose the game. You could see he potentially has the dynamic ability, but that gritty defensive mindset is the next step for him.”
And that’s why you don’t go crazy.
“Adama finished incredibly well against a giant,” Hurley said. “One of the best shot blockers. You never see anyone score in the post on Ike. What he did was tremendous. He and Isaiah didn’t rebound anywhere well enough.”
Two rebounds each. Sanogo fouled out in 20 minutes. That’s why you don’t go crazy.
And Jackson? Remember he’s a kid. Remember he missed all that time with a knee injury, had his progress stunted by the COVID breaks and then he breaks his wrist.
“He’s scratching the surface,” Hurley said. “You saw glimpses of it. Obviously the splash play, which really got us going. He really doesn’t know what he’s doing out there.
“We’re excited about getting him out there more and obviously getting that other dynamic guy out there, too. (Bouknight) is not trying to sit and keep his status of where he stands or his potential future earnings. This dude wants back in. And that’s great to see in the culture that we have in basketball today, that’s not always like that.”
Bouknight, Cole, Martin, Gaffney, Jackson, Brendan Adams, Tyler Polley … lots of guys. Finite minutes. And after Saturday, especially curious how Gaffney will fit the rest of the way.
“Coming into the year as a real point-guard competition, point-guard battle, obviously R.J. won it,” Hurley said. “Gaffney’s coming on strong. There’s enough minutes for everybody in the rotation. At times we’re going to play small. With Dre and Tyrese, you can do it.
“To be honest with you, with us banged up, we’ve had to gift minutes out of necessity. Now as Bouk is close to returning, you’ve got to play awfully good to stay on the court. If you’re playing bad you’ve got to get off the court. That’s what goes on with a good program. There’s pressure on people.”