Indiana Basketball survives another close one but rebounding struggles continue

Indiana basketball survived another upset bid, this time against Wright State, winning 89-80 over the Raiders at Assembly Hall.

While there were signs of improvement on the offensive end in the close win, the Hoosiers struggled to rebound the basketball once again on Thursday.

Indiana was out-rebounded by a much smaller Wright State team 40-37 and allowed 14 offensive rebounds. The Raiders were able to score 15 second chance points against the Hoosiers.

Indiana has played three opponents who don’t have anywhere near the size the Hoosiers boast but have been dead even on the glass through three games. Mike Woodson voiced his concerns about the team’s effort on the glass after the game.

“I think [rebounding] is a concern. A lot of it is because the three teams are really taking a lot of three-point shots against us, and long shots, long rebounds,” Woodson said about the rebounding struggles. “Our guards, I can’t have my starting guards play 26, 28 minutes and get one rebound apiece. That just can’t happen.”

The lead guards, Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway, have 13 rebounds between the two of them in the team’s first three games despite playing over 30 minutes a night. The two captains have to do a better job corralling those long rebounds that have killed Indiana basketball.

The Hoosiers have relied on their bigs to carry the bulk of the load on the glass and Kel’el Ware and Malik Reneau have done their part, but they need some help from the guards around them. Ware finished with 12 rebounds Thursday, while Reneau added 8 of his own.

“I think [Kel’el] Ware and Malik [Reneau] are doing a great job as far as rebounding it, but the surrounding pieces, we’ve got to pick up the scraps that are out there,” Woodson said postgame. “Our opponents are beating us to those balls, and we’ve got to figure that out.”

The rebounding troubles seem to be more of an effort issue than anything else. Indiana’s opponents are attempting a lot of threes and the Hoosiers are not hustling for the long rebounds that come from those attempts.

Malik Reneau had a similar belief as his coach about the cause of the rebounding conundrum.

“Yeah, just prioritizing boxing out and our guards come in and help us because, for me, I’m switching 1 through 4 so half the time I’ll probably be on a one man and I’m trying to contest a 40-footer and trying to get in to rebound,” Reneau said about the rebounding problem. “Just trying to contest the rebound and making sure I get back to rebound and help Kel’el [Ware] out and not just expecting Kel’el to get every rebound.”

A common occurrence has seen Indiana guards trying to leak out after an opponent’s shot attempt in order to get ahead in transition. Indiana’s abundance of length and athleticism makes up for a lot, but when they are competing 4 on 5 and 3 on 5 for defensive rebounds it is a losing battle, especially with the amount of long rebounds they see off missed jump shots.

While the 7-foot Kel’el Ware can make up for a lot, he can’t do it all. The guards need to do a better job helping Ware crash the glass.

The next time we will see Indiana basketball will be in the Empire Classic on Sunday when they face the defending national champion, UConn Huskies. 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan could create a major obstacle for the Hoosiers’ hopes of beating the Huskies.

Despite only playing 18 minutes a night in the team’s first three games, Clingan is averaging 6.7 rebounds a night. The Huskies boast four players averaging over 6 rebounds a game, including two of their guards.

If the Hoosiers don’t improve their rebounding efforts, it could be a long day against the Huskies on Sunday. They will need to keep the UConn guards off the glass, and with how IU’s guards have rebounded the basketball, the rebounding battle will likely play a huge factor in deciding the game.

The Hoosiers have all the tools to be a great rebounding team with their size and athleticism, but their attention to detail on that part of the floor has really hurt them. With three starters over 6-foot-8 and a rotation that only features two players under 6-foot-5, Indiana has to make rebounding a strength moving forward.

“Hell, I can get a rebound at 65 years of age probably, stumble into one,” Woodson said jokingly about the rebounding struggles. “They’ve got to help rebound the ball.”

SEE ALSO: Player Q&A: Malik Reneau and Kel’el Ware react to Indiana basketball’s close win against Wright State

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