U men's basketball: Coach takes Gophers to boarding school

Fed up with his team's rebounding woes, which were punctuated by a 22-rebound deficit on the boards vs. Michigan State on Wednesday, coach Tubby Smith issued a challenge to the Gophers men's basketball team after Friday's practice. Actually, it was more of an edict, a day before the Gophers face No. 24 Ohio State at Williams Arena.

"We're going to find out who wants to rebound in the next game, or else," Smith said. "It is what it is and we've got the players we have here, but we'll find some guys that want to go in and rebound."

It's one thing to lose a battle of the boards against a team such as the Spartans, the top rebounding team in the Big Ten. But when Southeastern Louisiana and South Dakota State outrebound your team, it's cause for concern.

The Gophers hope to quickly correct some of their rebounding issues in their second home contest against a ranked team in three days. Ohio State has averaged 34.2 rebounds per game, good for sixth in the Big Ten.

The Gophers have been outrebounded four times over their past five games. No team exploited that weakness more than Michigan State, which scored 21 points off 23 offensive grabs. Smith said a lack of toughness contributes greatly to his team's rebounding lapses.

"That's one of the things we talked about way back last year, the toughness," he said. "We're having issues with that. We try to teach proper technique, but it's a matter of want-to. Be a little more physical. Be a little more aggressive. That's all you can do."

The Gophers were seventh in the Big Ten in rebounding last season, at 33.8 per game, and Smith said then that the best way to improve on the boards was through recruiting, so he brought in 6-11 post players Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson III. The additional height hasn't translated into a significant gain for the Gophers. But Iverson does lead the team with 4.5 rebounds per game and Sampson is tied for third with 3.7.

The Gophers are the Big Ten's fourth-best rebounding team at 35.2 per game; however, those numbers are skewed by a 56-33 edge over Division II Concordia (St. Paul) in the season opener. And the Gophers allow 34.2 rebounds per game, which ranks ninth in the league.

Smith said the team's veterans are responsible for its rebounding problems, not the newcomers. He said the Spartans got numerous long rebounds that Gophers perimeter players should have grabbed.

"That's a big part of the game," freshman guard Devoe Joseph said. "The guards just as much as the big guys need to help rebound, whether it's long or short, you need to just crash the boards. It's just intensity and heart, pretty much, in the rebounding area."

But Iverson and Sampson said they both bear some of the responsibility for helping the team improve in a vital area.

"That should never happen," Iverson said of Michigan State's rebounding edge Wednesday. "Teams can't win games getting outrebounded by that."

Said Sampson: "To me, I think we were scattered a lot. We were focusing on finding the man instead of going after the ball and getting it."

Whatever the Gophers try to do to remedy their rebounding problems, they have to find a solution fast. Their four remaining Big Ten home games in January are against teams among the top six rebounding teams in the league.

Smith said the solution is simple: The Gophers just need to use a little more muscle. Those who don't put forth a better effort, Smith said, risk losing playing time in the Big Ten season.

"That was a rude awakening to us, understanding, 'Hey fellas, this is the way it's going to be,' " he said. "And if you're not aggressive and physical, then you're going to get pushed and shoved around."