Yale men have up and down weekend with dominant win over UMass, blowout loss at Seton Hall

by

Yale had an up, then down weekend.

Yale faced a more talented foe Sunday in KenPom No. 35 Seton Hall at the Prudential Center in Newark.
Except for one spurt in the first half which cut the deficit to five, it was never a game. The Pirates won in a cakewalk, 80-44.
The perimeter defense for Seton Hall (2-0) held Yale (2-1) to 24% shooting and a paltry 13% from three.
Gabbidon led Yale with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Cotton chipped in with 12 points.
Seton Hall faces No. 6 Michigan on Tuesday in Ann Arbor in a battle of teams formerly coached by Tommy Amaker.
Yale’s previous outing was a very different story.
Someone told me a few minutes into the Bulldogs’ matchup against Massachusetts at John J. Lee Amphitheater Friday night that while Yale and UMass may have nearly equal talent, Yale will win because

it has James Jones and a system. Bingo on both.

Yale beat up on UMass, 91-71, before a home crowd of 1,590.

Now in his 22nd season at the helm in New Haven, Jones is known for his next man up philosophy. That was evident against the Minutemen. With former Bulldog Paul Atkinson now the star center at Notre Dame and EJ Jarvis, the presumptive starting center this year now injured, Jones mixed and matched veterans and newcomers in the paint. It worked to precision.

Jones used 15 players in the win, and he has three more who can contribute on the bench.

Bulldogs Azar Swain and Matt Cotton were the two best players on the floor. Swain, everyone’s preseason Ivy Player of the Year, finished with 17 points and Cotton scored a career-high 23, many from long range. Cotton clearly had used the off year to his basketball advantage.

Jones has historically played frosh minimally, but in this win, newcomers Jack Molloy and Yussif Basa-Ama both contributed mightily with eight points each on combined 7-for-10 shooting.  Defensive standout Jalen Gabbidon kicked in with 13 points.

Yale’s next game action comes at Siena Tuesday at 7 p.m.