College Basketball Rankings: Top 15 Offensive Rebounders in College Hoops

Watch any basketball telecast, and the chances are the announcers will talk about the importance of second-chance points and how they can swing a game in one direction or the other. In spite of this obvious importance, offensive rebounding—a prerequisite for second-chance points—tends to be a sadly overlooked skill.

Few individual players are celebrated for their skill at crashing the offensive boards, but the ones who do it well can be a huge part of a successful team. One of this season’s top offensive rebounders, Arnett Moultrie of Mississippi State, has been the central factor in turning a team that missed last season’s tournament into the No. 21 squad in the AP poll.

Herein, a further look at Moultrie and the rest of the nation’s best glass-cleaners on the offensive end.

15. Robert Sacre, Gonzaga

Unbeaten Gonzaga hasn’t faced the most challenging opposition in the early going, but even considering the competition, Robert Sacre is off to a terrific start. The 7’0” senior is leading the Bulldogs with 17 points and nine rebounds (four offensive) per game.

The towering Sacre will face his biggest test on Saturday, when the Zags travel to Champaign to take on seven-footer Meyers Leonard and unbeaten Illinois.

If he can look as good against the Illini as he did against Washington State—15 points, 10 boards, three blocks—he’ll go a long way toward keeping Gonzaga undefeated.

14. Royce White, Iowa State

Coach Fred Hoiberg has rebuilt Iowa State around an impressive crop of transfers, and none have gotten off to a better start than Royce White.

The former Minnesota Golden Gopher is tied for the team lead with 14 points a game, and he’s pulling down 10.8 boards—including four on the offensive end—per contest.

White, a 6’8” sophomore, has come up big in the Cyclones’ toughest games so far. He had 21 points and 14 boards in a loss to Drake, and snatched 16 rebounds in a win over Providence.

13. Dorian Finney-Smith, Virginia Tech

One of the country’s most impressive freshmen in the early going has been Virginia Tech’s Dorian Finney-Smith. The 6’8” forward leads the Hokies with 10.3 rebounds a game, four of them offensive.

Finney-Smith has hit a few roadblocks on the offensive end—he had seven boards but just two points in a loss to Syracuse in the preseason NIT.

Nevertheless, the combination of his inside presence with senior Dorenzo Hudson’s perimeter game makes Virginia Tech look like a team that could make some noise in the ACC.

12. James Haarsma, Milwaukee

Milwaukee is off to a solid 5-1 start, and no player has had more to do with it than PF James Haarsma. The 6’7” Evansville transfer is leading the team in both scoring (12.2 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 boards a night, including 4.8 on the offensive end).

Haarsma’s most impressive game to date actually came in the Panthers’ one loss of the season. Against the bruising front line of the Michigan State Spartans, the junior scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds (five offensive) in a 68-55 defeat.

Image from uwmpanthers.cstv.com

11. Chris Cooper, Old Dominion

Frank Hassell may be gone, but that doesn’t mean that Old Dominion has gone soft in the post. The Monarchs’ long line of talented interior players continues with 6’9” Chris Cooper.

The senior forward is leading ODU with 9.0 rebounds a game, 4.3 of them on the offensive end. Against the fearsome Kentucky frontcourt, Cooper exploded for 17 points and 12 boards (seven offensive) in a 62-52 defeat.

10. Mike Groselle, The Citadel

After early losses to VMI and High Point, The Citadel looks to be in for another long year on the basketball court. One bright spot Bulldog fans can count on, though, is the play of junior center Mike Groselle.

The 6’8” Groselle is leading the team with 18.2 points and 11.2 rebounds (4.8 of them offensive) per game. He’ll face a tough test on Dec. 6 when he squares off with fellow rebounding ace Sam McLaurin of Coastal Carolina on the road.

Image from soconsports.com

9. Matt Kavanaugh, Dayton

Dayton’s victory in the Old Spice Classic was one of the biggest surprises in any preseason tournament. Many members of the Flyers’ balanced lineup have played key roles in the team’s 5-1 start, and Matt Kavanaugh is among the best.

The 6’9” junior is leading the team with 8.2 rebounds a game, 4.8 of them offensive.

In the Flyers’ win over Minnesota, he helped hold Trevor Mbakwe (last year’s Big Ten rebounding champ) to four rebounds in 21 minutes before the Golden Gophers’ star left with a knee injury.

8. Geddes Robinson, Utah Valley

How does tiny Utah Valley rank 29th in the nation with 41.1 rebounds a game? Just ask Geddes Robinson, who’s grabbing 11.7 of them, including 5.1 on the offensive end.

The 6’5” senior forward is also scoring 12 points a game, but even his best effort is unlikely to get the Wolverines much notice.

Robinson will be hard-pressed to lead Utah Valley through a tough stretch of schedule that includes a home-and-home with Wyoming and a visit to still-dangerous Utah State.

Image from wolverinegreen.com

7 Mike Moser, UNLV

UNLV’s extraordinary 7-0 start (including an upset of No. 1 North Carolina) has been keyed by the inside-outside tandem of Mike Moser and Chace Stanback.

Moser, a 6’8” sophomore who sat out last season after transferring from UCLA, leads the team with 15.1 points a game and the nation with 13.7 rebounds a night (4.4 of them on the offensive end).

While Stanback’s 28 points had a lot to do with knocking off the Tar Heels, Moser had just as impressive a night. He scored 16 points with 18 rebounds (five offensive) and six assists in the Rebels’ signature victory.

6. Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac

The Quinnipiac Bobcats are leading the nation in rebounding on the young season, pulling in 44.6 boards a night. No player has been a bigger part of that effort than 6’7” forward Ike Azotam, whose 11.6 rebounds a night include 5.2 on the offensive end.

Azotam, a sophomore, had his biggest game of the season against his toughest opponent. He held Yale’s 6’10” Greg Mangano to five points, while scoring 17 himself (with 18 boards) in a 68-62 Quinnipiac win.

Image from quinnipiacbobcats.com

5. Arnett Moultrie, Mississippi State

Dee Bost and Renardo Sidney established themselves in Starkville last season, but Arnett Moultrie came into 2011-12 as a bit of an unknown quantity.

The UTEP transfer has been an instant hit, placing second on the team to Bost with 16 points a game and leading the squad with 10.8 rebounds a night (including 4.3 offensive boards).

Moultrie, a 6’11” junior, has been an integral part of MSU’s 7-1 start. He demolished Arizona with 19 points (on 8-for-9 shooting) and 10 boards in the title game of the 2K Sports Classic.

4. Kinu Rochford, Fairleigh Dickinson

Fairleigh Dickinson is off to a dreadful 1-4 start, lowlighted by an 81-62 blowout at the hands of Albany. Despite the team’s struggles, though, junior forward Kinu Rochford has been putting together one of  the nation’s best rebounding seasons.

The 6’6” juco transfer is averaging 9.0 boards a game, 5.4 of them on the offensive end. Unfortunately, putbacks are about all he’s getting on that end of the floor, as he’s scoring just 12.6 points a night for FDU’s lackluster offense.

Image from twitter.com

3. Herb Pope, Seton Hall

It’s been a few years since Seton Hall was a factor in the Big East, but Herb Pope has a chance to turn that record around. The senior forward is leading the Pirates with 20.5 points and 11.7 rebounds (4.8 offensive) per game.

Pope has led the Pirates to a strong 5-1 start that’s included wins over Virginia Commonwealth and St. Joe’s. Even in his team’s lone loss (to Northwestern), Pope was huge, scoring 32 points on 14-for-17 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds, five of them on offense.

2. Brian Benson, New Hampshire

New Hampshire has had one of the nation’s lightest schedules, with just four games slated before the end of November. With that caveat in mind, though, senior forward Brian Benson is still playing awfully well on the young season.

Benson is averaging 12.3 rebounds a game, second in the nation, and he leads the country with 5.7 offensive boards a night. A big game from the senior would do a lot of good in the Wildcats’ quest for their first win over a D-I foe in tonight’s meeting with 2-4 Dartmouth.

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1. Kevin Jones, West Virginia

Even in the mighty Big East, few players are off to starts as impressive as Kevin Jones’. The 6’8” senior is leading the team with 21 points a game, his 12.2 rebounds a night are third in the nation, and he ranks second in the country with 5.6 offensive boards per contest.

Jones played valiantly in the Mountaineers’ upset loss to Kent State, posting 15 points and 18 boards in the game. He’ll be in for a very tough test on Saturday when WVU visits Arnett Moultrie and Mississippi State.