Defensive rebounding woes cost Wichita State basketball chance at road win in FAU game

In search of the first road win over a ranked opponent for the Wichita State men’s basketball team since 2018, head coach Paul Mills made defensive rebounding a priority for Thursday’s road game at Florida Atlantic.

Not only was it an area where the Shockers have recently slipped, but the coach also believed it held the key to victory on Thursday. After all, five of FAU’s eight losses since last season have come when an opponent secures at least 68% of defensive rebounds.

That’s what made the seven offensive rebounds that FAU turned into 13 second-chance points in the second half even more painful.

WSU failed to meet its challenge on the defensive glass, finishing with 64% of available defensive rebounds, and failed to come away with the upset in an 86-77 loss to the No. 23-ranked Owls at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

“We know how Florida Atlantic wins and how they lose,” Mills said. “The metrics are pretty clear. We knew the threshold in order to get a win and (64%) was not the number.”

The Shockers actually played superb first-shot defense against the No. 11 most-efficient offense in the country. Take away the second and third chances and WSU held FAU to 41% shooting and just 0.92 points per possession.

Here’s how devastating the second-chance opportunities were to WSU’s defense: FAU shot 80% and scored 1.50 points per possession following its 14 offensive rebounds. The 21 second-chance points scored was a season-high allowed by WSU — against a game plan focused on limiting them altogether.

“We’re not the most skilled team, so what we have to be is physical,” Mills said. “We’ve got to do a better job, especially with the physical lineup that we put out there, of retrieving those rebounds and limiting teams to one shot. Because it’s pretty deflating when you play defense for 28 seconds, then they get another (20).”

Mills has stated from the beginning of the season WSU must dominate the simple, yet simple mistakes have plagued the Shockers during their 6-game losing streak.

Here’s a look at five back-breaking offensive rebounds allowed by WSU and the simple breakdowns that led to them against FAU.

First example: WSU protecting first-half lead

Ball watching has been a problem for WSU’s defense at times this season, which has made box-outs difficult.

That was the case early in the first half when Dalen Ridgnal, WSU’s most energetic rebounder, was transfixed by a drive and lost track of his mark altogether. It wasn’t until his man was receiving a bounce pass on the opposite side of the court when Ridgnal began to give chase.

The mistake compounded when Kenny Pohto left his position underneath the basket to try to close out the shooter.

That took away WSU’s two best rebounders on the floor and left FAU big man Tre Carroll unchecked to stroll down the paint and tip in the miss while being fouled. The three-point play cut WSU’s lead to 21-15.

Second example: When drop coverage goes wrong

Wichita State was superb in drop coverage for the majority of the game, meaning Quincy Ballard was dropped around the free throw line when FAU was running ball screens around the perimeter.

The pick-and-roll coverage is designed to prevent teams from attacking the basket and inviting them to take pull-up, 2-point jumpers.

And that’s exactly what FAU did on its first possession of the second half, as Bryan Greenlee dribbled around a screen set by 7-foot-1 center Vladislav Goldin and pulled up for a 17-foot jumper — the type of shot WSU’s defense can live with.

But instead of letting Greenlee freely shoot and turning his attention to box out Goldin, Ballard lunged at the shooter to try to contest the shot.

Ballard delivered a standout two-way performance on Thursday, but this was one of his few mistakes for two reasons. First, Ballard was so far back he was unlikely to deter the shot. Second, by chasing the blocked shot, Ballard was leaving WSU severely out-matched underneath with Goldin unchecked going to the rim.

Sure enough, Goldin capitalized on his unimpeded path and tipped the ball in to start FAU’s comeback.

Third example: The kind of rebounds WSU must secure, Part I

All 14 offensive rebounds will make for a painful film review for the players. But a handful will truly drive the coaching staff crazy.

One of those such rebounds came when WSU was trying to stave off FAU’s rally early in the second half.

A 3-point shot goes up, four WSU players are in the paint with inside position. A long rebound is tipped in the air and Isaac Abidde puts two hands on the ball, but it is immediately jarred loose by FAU.

“In the second half, I thought we were quicker to the ball,” FAU head coach Dusty May said. “It was more about our guys just doing what we do better and with more determination than we did in the first half.”

To beat a top-25 team on the road, those are the type of rebounds WSU has to come up with in order to win.

This particular offensive rebound extended the possession for FAU and led to a pair of free throws to trim WSU’s lead to 55-50 with 13:02 remaining.

Fourth example: Not finishing box-outs

It’s worth remembering Ballard played well at both ends, scoring a career-high 18 points and anchoring WSU’s pick-and-roll defense in the paint.

But even great performances sometimes have areas of improvement. For the 6-foot-11 center, finishing with just one defensive rebound in 21 minutes left something to be desired.

The one chance Ballard will want back the most came with WSU protecting a 64-60 lead in the final eight minutes.

A 3-point shot goes up and Ballard initially turns to check out FAU’s Tre Carroll, but he doesn’t do so with force. So when the shot misses, Carroll was able to freely move around Ballard and use his quickness to beat him to the loose ball and grab a key offensive rebound.

Ten seconds later, Alijah Martin is draining the first of four 3-pointers that FAU used to pull away down the stretch.

“Those are real killer,” Ballard said. “We’ve got to be better on the glass, including me. I feel like I can take some of the blame for that.”

Fifth example: The kind of rebounds WSU must secure, Part II

To set the scene: WSU is locked in a tied game down the stretch on the road against a top-25 team.

Every possession from here on out is crucial.

FAU hoists up a 3-point shot and none of its players crash the glass, which lulls WSU into a false sense of security. When the shot went up, WSU’s players turned to box out, but when no one on FAU moved, neither did anyone on WSU.

At this juncture in the game, WSU couldn’t afford to take any risks. Executing details matter more than ever, which means boxing out every single time.

WSU learned that lesson the hard way when a long rebound caromed off the rim and because WSU failed to box out, FAU’s Alijah Martin was able to make a late rally on the ball and tip it out to a teammate.

Seconds later, Martin cashed in on his own second chance created, as he drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer in the corner that staked FAU to a lead, 69-66, it never relinquished in the final five minutes.

WSU will be haunted by the two offensive rebounds allowed that led to two of the three 3-pointers FAU hit in less than 90 seconds that flipped the game for good.

“It’s rough because we do so many rebounding drills in practice and we know the proper technique,” WSU guard Harlond Beverly said. “We’ve just got to be better and really commit to defensive rebounding. You’re going to lose a lot of games if you give up that many offensive rebounds.”