Predicting the Top 10 Rebounding Teams Heading into the 2014-15 CBB Season

Rebounding is not a skill a college basketball player learns as much as it's an attitude that he adopts. While shooting, ball-handling and passing can all be honed through practice and repetition, rebounding is only partially teachable.

Players must learn where to position themselves when a shot goes up, sure. But from there, it's a battle against opponents determined to track down the same flying object you are.

To underscore the importance of good rebounding, just look at the 2014 Final Four.

Kentucky and Florida both ranked among the top 20 teams in the nation in total rebounds, with overall board margins well into triple digits. Both SEC powers, however, lost the battle of the boards—and their games—to a UConn team that finished the season 16th in total rebounds but posted only a plus-11 rebounding margin for the year.

The following 10 teams have a blend of size, athletic ability and competitive fire that should make them some of the nation's top rebounding clubs—and thereby threats to do some damage in March.

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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10. Duke

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Duke was a very solid offensive rebounding team last season, but the absence of a reliable, burly big man marking his territory in the low post cost the Blue Devils on the defensive boards.

That problem should be rectified this season.

The nation's top recruit, Chicago center Jahlil Okafor, is not a post player who deludes himself into thinking he's a wing. He'll stake out position in the lane and focus on getting rebounds by any means necessary.

Okafor's presence will lighten the load on junior forward Amile Jefferson, who still doesn't seem built for the rough stuff inside but has been one of the ACC's finest offensive rebounders during both of his seasons in Durham.

Seven-foot junior Marshall Plumlee was inconsistent last season, but he occasionally announced his presence with burly rebounding performances. He put up seven against Florida State and Wake Forest, six against North Carolina and Virginia and five on Syracuse. More consistent playing time should yield another year of 10 or so boards per 40 minutes.

Wings Justise Winslow and Semi Ojeleye are lengthy and athletic enough to outfight larger centers for caroms when they come to crash the lane. They'll add hustle to the muscle of Okafor and Plumlee.

9. Florida

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The veteran savvy of Florida big men Patric Young and Will Yeguete is no longer available to coach Billy Donovan. In its place, he now has at his disposal the length and athleticism of sophomore Chris Walker and junior Dorian Finney-Smith.

Former McDonald's All-American Walker rarely played last season because he was physically unequipped for the battles of the SEC. Offseason work has tremendously improved his frame, according to Kevin Brockway of The Gainesville Sun. Skinny or not, Walker still tore down 11 rebounds per 40 minutes as a freshman, so imagine what he'll do with another 20 pounds of muscle—if not more.

Finney-Smith has likewise bulked up from last season's listed 208 pounds. He's another player who has been able to seize a number of boards disproportionate to his bulk, as he's remained in the neighborhood of 10 boards per 40 in both of his collegiate seasons. He'll be counted on to support Walker on the glass, so both could rank among the SEC's top 10 rebounders this season.

There is a little veteran savvy still on the roster, just not from an SEC veteran. Michigan transfer Jon Horford weighs in at 6'10" and 250 pounds, and he's fully prepared to do little but play defense and vacuum up rebounds.

Sports-Reference.com shows 2012-13 as Horford's low-water mark on the glass. All he accomplished that season was 10.1 boards per 40 with a 10.6 offensive rebounding percentage and 19.6 defensive. Last year's career-high percentages would have ranked sixth and first in the SEC respectively.

Freshman Devin Robinson and Duke transfer Alex Murphy may also get the chance to contribute on the glass, but these three may just rip a hand off anyone who tries to take away their rebounds.

8. Harvard

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Harvard will miss departed senior Kyle Casey, who was a major force on the defensive glass. However, Tommy Amaker's program is reaching reload-not-rebuild status, and there's talent both new and old on hand to make the Crimson even more potent on the glass.

Senior forward Steve Moundou-Missi is the only true lock to make the starting five, and he's a fine place to start a front line. Moundou-Missi rolled up double-doubles against Princeton and Michigan State, part of his team-leading 6.0 boards per game. Classmate Jonah Travis yanked down 9.8 rebounds per 40 minutes as a reserve.

Because Harvard was so laden with veteran talent, former 247Sports top 100 recruit Zena Edosomwan saw very limited time last season. The 6'9", 250-pound Californian averaged more than 20 points and 12 boards per 40 as a freshman, and it's highly unlikely that he plays only five minutes per game this year.

The forgotten man in the Crimson equation is senior Kenyatta Smith. The 6'8", 250-pound center played only two minutes all of last season before breaking his already injured right foot.

When last we saw Smith, he was falling one rebound short of a triple-double against Penn in February 2013, then posting 20 points and 12 boards combined against Arizona and New Mexico in the NCAA tournament. He'll be a factor again.

Junior Evan Cummins and 6'9" freshman Chris Egi will also eat some glass whenever they see substantial minutes. Egi turned down the likes of Marquette and Florida to serve an apprenticeship at Harvard.

7. Colorado

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Colorado boasted the Pac-12's No. 2 rebounding trio last season. Forwards Josh Scott, Wesley Gordon and Xavier Johnson combined for 20.3 RPG, just behind Cal's triumvirate of Richard Solomon, David Kravish and Tyrone Wallace (22.0).

This year being a new year, however, conference rebounding champ Solomon is gone. The Colorado three return, however, and they're ready to lead a team that could become more interior-oriented.

Scott has added about 35 pounds to his frame during his first two seasons in Boulder, mirroring the expansion of his role on the team now that stars Andre Roberson and Spencer Dinwiddie are gone. Scott enters this season as the Pac-12's top returning rebounder and leader in defensive rebounding percentage.

Sophomore Gordon is the only conference returnee ahead of Scott on the offensive rebounding percentage chart, despite a late-season tailspin caused by an off-court ankle injury. About one of every five Gordon baskets came on putbacks last season, a piece of the offense that could grow even more valuable this year.

The hyper-athletic Johnson yanked 15 boards against Elon and later carded double-doubles against conference foes Utah and Washington.

Sophomore wing George King was effective in small doses, and 255-pound freshman Tory Miller could be a factor if given the chance to throw his weight around.

6. North Carolina

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Late last season, North Carolina was struggling to find its way on the glass. In a March loss to Duke, the Tar Heels pulled down only 20 boards, their lowest figure since 1987. An ACC tournament loss to Pitt saw Panther big man Talib Zanna pull down 21 by himself.

So why expect such drastic rebounding improvement, even when UNC has lost forward James Michael McAdoo to the pros?

Well, for one thing, UNC lost James Michael McAdoo to the pros. McAdoo had every physical tool but was never able to provide a dominant presence on the glass, even with three years to work on it.

McAdoo's departure places the onus squarely on junior forward Brice Johnson and sophomore center Kennedy Meeks.

The heretofore spindly Johnson is up to 228 pounds on his 6'9" frame, meaning that his athletic gifts won't be wasted on so many plays where he simply gets pushed out of rebounding position. Even at only 210 or so pounds last year, Johnson still put up rebounding percentages that would have each ranked third in the ACC if he'd played enough minutes to qualify.

Meeks tied Johnson for second on the team at 6.1 RPG, and both scraped into the ACC's top 20. While Johnson's rebounding rates were impressive, Meeks dwarfed him on both ends. Like so many other big men around college basketball, Meeks spent his summer looking to lose weight (so Johnson could find it perhaps?), and the results looked impressive all the way back in July.

Burly reserves Desmond Hubert and Joel James are still around, and both are loads to dislodge on the block. Sophomore Isaiah Hicks expects to play more inside and less on the wing, thanks to the addition of springy small forward Theo Pinson.

Speaking of Pinson, don't discount the contributions that he and fellow jumping jack J.P. Tokoto will put in on the glass either. Tokoto pulled 5.8 per game as a sophomore.

5. SMU

Sharon Ellman/Associated Press

It's tempting to write off SMU as a top-25 team because the two-point guard attack of Nic Moore and Emmanuel Mudiay won't come to fruition, but keep this in mind: Larry Brown has way too much quality size on hand for the Mustangs to go away quietly.

Let's start with potential All-American (in both senses of the term) forward Markus Kennedy. The 6'9", 245-pound forward flexed the same rebounding muscle that he'd only hinted at as a freshman at Villanova. He led the American in total rebound percentage and ranked sixth with 7.1 boards per game.

Part of Kennedy's rebounding renaissance was forced by injury to center Yanick Moreira, who had joined the Mustangs as one of the nation's more intriguing junior college recruits. Moreira appears healed, especially judging by his dominant performance at the FIBA World Cup. A healthy and confident Moreira could become the best center in the AAC.

And yes, we have heard of Shaq Goodwin and Amida Brimah, thank you.

Senior center Cannen Cunningham and sophomore forward Ben Moore also thrived on the glass last season. Moore's 14.6 offensive percentage would have led the conference had he played enough minutes. Cunningham crunched 8.6 boards per 40, providing able relief when Kennedy needed to sit.

Even wing Sterling Brown got into the act occasionally, ranking third on the team at 3.8 caroms per game. He put up seven in one game at Louisville and eight at UConn.

4. Kansas

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Kansas could experience a drop-off on the glass after the departure of rising star center Joel Embiid.

Or this year's freshman post dynamo, Chicago mauler Cliff Alexander, could live up to his glass-eater reputation, endorsed here by ESPN recruiting insider Reggie Rankin (subscription required). Alexander isn't a 7-footer like Embiid, but he's more than strong and hungry enough to rank among the Big 12's dominant board men.

Junior forward Perry Ellis will also be more than happy to help on both ends. Ellis finished second to Embiid—and 11th in the Big 12—at 6.7 RPG, including double-doubles against three NCAA-bound conference rivals.

Off the bench, opponents will get little relief when juniors Jamari Traylor and Hunter Mickelson or sophomore Landen Lucas enter. Traylor and Lucas both topped 10 rebounds per 40 last season, while Mickelson's 6'10" frame makes up for his relative lack of athleticism. Mickelson has actually lost weight since arriving at Kansas, hoping to increase his explosiveness. That can only aid him on the glass.

The Jayhawks' big men may not be able to expect much rebounding help from the guards and wings, but it'll actually be somewhat surprising if they need it.

3. Arizona

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson said in July that the Wildcats have the best starting lineup in college basketball, and ESPN's Jeff Goodman duly reported as such on Twitter. Needless to say, another pack of Wildcats begged to differ, but more on them later.

UA will crash the glass this season without NBA lottery pick Aaron Gordon, but all his departure did was open up more minutes and caroms for other very capable, athletic rebounders.

Say, for instance, Hollis-Jefferson. RHJ posted a virtually identical offensive rebounding percentage to Gordon's (per Sports-Reference) and ripped eight or more rebounds seven times in conference play—including all three Pac-12 tournament games.

Center Kaleb Tarczewski regressed on the glass with the more athletic Gordon on the scene, but he could certainly return to the 11 rebounds per 40 that he posted as a freshman. Forward Brandon Ashley likewise didn't need to get his hands dirty as often last season, and it may take time for him to embrace the interior chicken-fighting again as he continues his return from injury.

More minutes for 6'10" senior Matt Korcheck would give the Cats another imposing presence in the paint. His 11.9 boards per 40 led the team.

Finally, what of freshman wing Stanley Johnson? Johnson stands 6'7", but he's a burly 243 pounds, according to his USA Basketball measurements, as reported by DraftExpress. He's an explosive, hard-nosed athlete who'll be capable of a double-double any night of the week.

The western Wildcats certainly have a potent group of glass-eaters, but what of their blue-clad counterparts? Hey, glad you asked.

2. Kentucky

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

When six members of your frontcourt could be NBA draft picks this year, your team should be extremely potent on the glass. And Kentucky promises to be exactly that.

These Wildcats (well, most of them) were the No. 2 offensive rebounding team in America last year, according to Pomeroy. Major contributor Julius Randle left for the pros, but he's been replaced by a potent twin-towers set in freshmen Karl Towns and Trey Lyles.

Towns has drawn some questions about his desire to mix it up, but he's got the perimeter game to keep scouts excited, even if he's not the next Patrick Patterson. Lyles, on the other hand, should come out with nostrils flaring if he wants to prove he's not rusty from missing the Big Blue Bahamas games.

Returnees Willie Cauley-Stein, Dakari Johnson, Alex Poythress and Marcus Lee were all factors on the glass last season, no matter how many or how few minutes they played.

Lee, in particular, shook off a season's worth of rust to throttle the Michigan Wolverines with a 10-point, eight-rebound performance in the Elite Eight, doing most of the damage in the first half. He's still as springy as ever, and he's spent the summer in the weight room to strengthen his base. If he's not getting pushed around in practice, he'll find plenty of game minutes.

Cauley-Stein's length and Johnson's bulk made them the Laurel and Hardy of college basketball last season, but Johnson has dropped some weight this summer with the intention of playing extensive minutes.

Poythress saw his minutes dip from his rookie season, but his rebounding figures took an uptick as he sought ways to help the team aside from scoring. This season, he may be unleashed and allowed to do both. His performances in the Bahamas suggest he can do just that.

1. Texas

Eric Gay/Associated Press

They say everything's big in Texas, and sometimes big things get bigger.

That's what happened to a Texas team already loaded with board-crashing, shot-blocking giant Longhorns. Everyone's back from last year, and McDonald's All-American center Myles Turner has joined the mix as well. As any school not named Kentucky, Arizona or Duke will tell you, sometimes recruiting just doesn't seem fair.

Turner's presence gives the Longhorns five rotation players north of 6'8" and 240 pounds—and they all love to get after it on the glass. Turner may, in fact, spend a good portion of his time on the perimeter, allowing top offensive rebounding threats like Jonathan Holmes, Cameron Ridley and Prince Ibeh to thrive on putbacks from the Longhorn guards, who shoot almost as well as an armed Mr. Magoo.

All the Longhorn bigs were solid on the defensive glass, with 6'9" forward Connor Lammert making himself most at home on that end. Lammert can play some stretch 4, so don't expect him to be a constant presence on the offensive boards.

The 285-pound Ridley and 265-pound Ibeh form one of the best pound-for-pound defensive center duos in the nation. Both possess massive 7'4" wingspans, and Ibeh's athleticism is occasionally underrated as a backup to the mountainous Ridley.

Ridley's strength and length compensate for the fact that he's not an explosive leaper, and even the springiest of centers will have difficulty carving out position against him.

Holmes is the guy whose position may be most under fire with the arrival of Turner. Already a solid-effort guy on the glass, expect Holmes to come out with fire in his eyes to prove he deserves to stay at power forward, a position he's manned capably for three years.

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