So how really bad and corpselike is UConn's offensive rebounding?

[DobbsRover2]

Geno has been getting on the team and a particular crypt-loving player about the team's lack of rebounding this year. So as always, the question is, is this just a motivational thing for Geno or is there a real hard-data weakness here that he has identified as an Achilles heel for UConn?

The answer that needs to be given to any Husky player is that it is horrible, ghastly, disgusting, and completely dead, and that they should vow to clean up at least 20 O-rebs a game or their fans will suffer greatly.

In reality and you're not Stewie, the answer is not too bad and about average. Last year's team had the lowest rate (12.1 o-rpg) in many years and weren't even able to match last night's 17 total for a game during the first 30 games of the season. They finished well in the last 10 games though as they got 17+ in six games, culminating in the high of 22 in the NC game against ND. They also shot over 50% on the year, and like this year's team at 53.6%, that limits the amount of o-rebs you can get than in preceding years when the team was shooting 47%.

This year's team is at 13.4 o-rpg, ranging from 5 against Tulsa when they shot 65% to 18 against Charleston when they had far more opportunities. Geno's eruptions about lack of o-rebs tend to come after games like the Temple one when they get less than 10.

For the last 7 years the o-reb ranking for teams is:

2008-09: 14.0
2012-13: 13.8
2011-12: 13.6
2014-15: 13.4
2009-10: 13.0
2010-11: 12.9
2013-14: 12.1

The 2008-09 team were masterful o-rebbers because they also shot 51%, but Tina, Maya, and Kalana had a nose for keeping the ball on the offensive end. And though some of Tina's team-leading 131 o-rebs were off her misses close in, she did shoot 62% so her opportunities there were somewhat limited.

But yeah, "20 offensive rebounds a game or bust" is the slogan the rest of the way.

 

[JoePgh]

Actually, I think the greater concern is the number of offensive rebounds that UConn gives up. Some comparatively small and mediocre teams have gotten 15+ offensive rebounds against UConn this year.

What are the stats on ORB's surrendered? How does this year's team compare in that department to other recent UConn teams?

In general, my opinion is that clearing the defensive boards (aka "one-shotting" an opponent) is a higher priority, and has a greater impact on winning the game, than grabbing offensive rebounds. All the more so for a team that shoots as accurately as UConn.

I think there should be a stat called "first-shot shooting percentage", both for a team and for its opponents. That would be the best way to separate the impact of rebounding from the quality of a team's offensive and defensive sets and strategies. My hunch is that UConn would be dominant in both its own first-shot shooting percentage and in minimizing that percentage by its opponents.

Call it "FS%" in box scores.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Actually, I think the greater concern is the number of offensive rebounds that UConn gives up. Some comparatively small and mediocre teams have gotten 15+ offensive rebounds against UConn this year.

What are the stats on ORB's surrendered? How does this year's team compare in that department to other recent UConn teams?

In general, my opinion is that clearing the defensive boards (aka "one-shotting" an opponent) is a higher priority, and has a greater impact on winning the game, than grabbing offensive rebounds. All the more so for a team that shoots as accurately as UConn.

I think there should be a stat called "first-shot shooting percentage", both for a team and for its opponents. That would be the best way to separate the impact of rebounding from the quality of a team's offensive and defensive sets and strategies. My hunch is that UConn would be dominant in both its own first-shot shooting percentage and in minimizing that percentage by its opponents.

Call it "FS%" in box scores.

You are right that UConn's numbers on opponents' offensive rebounds is well up, and in fact it is the highest its been during the last seven years. This year's rate is 13.2 per game, and going back six years starting with last year, the rates have been 12.3, 12.1, 12.0, 11.1, 11.9, 12.7. However, other factors can intrude, and this year's team is being hit with the perfect storm of opportunities for opponents.

First, opponents are shooting under 30%, which is the only time that has been so during the period. Along with the fairly standard FT% of 67.6%,this means 1 or 2 more opportunities per game. Secondly, the big change is that opponents are jacking the 3pt shots at a huge rate this year of 20.5 per game as opposed to past years with averages of about 17. The closest in the last 7 years to the 20.5 mark was 18.5 in 2008-09, which is also the year with the second highest opponents' o-reb rate.

Quite simply, UConn players on defense set up for a normal rebound, but on 3pt shots the rebounds often go long and over the defensive players giving the offensive players more rebound opportunities. The only way to cut that down is to have the guards do a more focused patrol of the mid range areas that the long rebounds go to.

A final factor is that though Kiah has been described as having soft hands on the blocks, a much larger percentage of her swats still either go out of bounds for a team o-reb or get rebounded by an opponent than would occur on a standard miss.

 

[DriveLH]

From the latest NCAA stats: UConn is 766 for 1429 from the field. That means we missed 663 shots. We have 295 O-rebs for a 44.49%.
Our opponents are 402 for 1357, which means they missed 955 shots. They have 291 O-rebs for a 30.47%
Therefore, we are getting nearly half our misses. That's not bad.

 

[DobbsRover2]

From the latest NCAA stats: UConn is 766 for 1429 from the field. That means we missed 663 shots. We have 295 O-rebs for a 44.49%.
Our opponents are 402 for 1357, which means they missed 955 shots. They have 291 O-rebs for a 30.47%
Therefore, we are getting nearly half our misses. That's not bad.

Ah, but we are talking about UConn, and what is good for other teams is something that is very displeasing to Geno. He compares a team against past UConn teams, and he always finds something lacking.

Although the comparative averages remain fairly similar, the percentages you cite for both UConn and the opponents are too high since they do not include FT misses, and a percentage of which, maybe half or more, of UConn's 105 misses are opportunities for rebounds. Gabby, Kiah, and KML have all been picking up a bunch from the FT line.