Our rebounding.

[sufandu]

sounds about right. i really don't think this years team is as bad of a rebounding team as it's being made out to be. maybe i'm just used to giving up a ton of offensive rebounds, but we did pretty good on the glass against teams like UNC, Baylor, and IU who were pretty good rebounding teams in their own right. I've come to live with giving up off rebounds, but at least we seem to limit teams to only 1 per possession. Their have been seasons were it seemed the other team shot until they missed.

Even with giving up offensive rebounds we make up for it with steals, blocks, and low opponents fg %

When I was looking at some numbers it seemed like we're not that bad compared to previous seasons. The frustrating thing for me is to see something that is easily improvable not improving. Something else that happens sometimes is one of our guys gets called for a cheap foul going for a rebound someone has better position for. If our guy just boxed out we get the rebound and avoid the foul.

 

[Knicks411]

I don't think it's a terrible defensive rebounding team by the standards of the last decade or so. Last night was terrible in the first 10 minutes, but they settled down a lot after that.

Even with giving up offensive rebounds we make up for it with steals, blocks, and low opponents fg %

Exactly. It bothers me when we give up a ton of offensive boards (and to tie this in with a discussion yesterday, that is the kind of thing that will keep us from being a top 5 defense), but we just need to accept it as a function of the defense we play and we have to make up for it in other areas, which we do.

 

[Waltdods]

I get that. I'm suggesting he should teach it. It's not like it would take something away from anything else we do. Boxing out is the easiest skill in basketball to perform. All it really requires is effort.

I disagree with this. The zone as Syracuse plays it has the frontcourt players constantly closing out on shooters and often playing far from the basket. You can't box out if you're not in position to do so (it would be a foul), and very often the players are out of position by design. Blaming this on a lack of effort is unfair.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Pitt is really the only team that has given us trouble on the offensive glass. We have had some very good games rebounding when I thought we could struggle. Part of playing the zone is having to deal with giving up a higher percentage of offensive boards. Long shots make long rebounds, and weird bounces, we just have to minimize it. Plus the other thing to remember when playing a zone is you are zone rebounding. You don't have a man to box out, you just rebound your space. JB has the big guys rely on their athleticism

I dont disagree but Pitt was not the only team to beat us up bad on the O boards. Clemson and Duke both had double digit O rebounds, Clemson had 14 I think.

 

[sufandu]

I disagree with this. The zone as Syracuse plays it has the frontcourt players constantly closing out on shooters and often playing far from the basket. You can't box out if you're not in position to do so (it would be a foul), and very often the players are out of position by design. Blaming this on a lack of effort is unfair.

I'm not suggesting a guy closing out on a shooter would be expected to box out. Far to often, guys that are in the lane just watch the ball as it goes up instead of finding a guy to box out. Additionally, not every box out has to be in the lane. If you're out on the perimeter and you're not the guy designated to leak out for a break, find a guy to box out on the outside in case of a long rebound. You can't box out every time, but our guys could do it more often than they do.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

I disagree with this. The zone as Syracuse plays it has the frontcourt players constantly closing out on shooters and often playing far from the basket. You can't box out if you're not in position to do so (it would be a foul), and very often the players are out of position by design. Blaming this on a lack of effort is unfair.

Ehhh, I think the answer lies somewhere between. Zone means you guard the guy in your zone. Rebounding means you box out the guy in your zone. I agree with the OP that Fair and Grant esp too often follow the ball as it is shot instead of finding a man and boxing him out. Rebounding is also a team effort - that means means keeping your guy from getting the rebound. Then, by default, one of our guys gets it.

 

[Madbiker]

Rak especially has a tendency to watch the ball rather than reacting and moving immediately as the shot goes up to the location where the carom is likely to come off. I have nightmares that somewhere out there is a strong rebounding mid major who nobody knows just laying in wait for us in the NCAAT.

 

[anomander]

for all of the offensive rebounds we give up, we also do some serious damage ourselves on the offensive glass