UA gets on board for Wake

FAYETTEVILLE -- After finishing 301st in the nation last season in rebounding margin at minus-3.5 per game, the Arkansas men's basketball team is looking to hit the boards harder this season.

The Razorbacks didn't get off to a good rebounding start, though, and a repeat tonight could cost them dearly against Wake Forest.

The Demon Deacons -- coached by former Kansas and NBA star Danny Manning -- have a plus-21.0 rebounding margin in two games after beating North Carolina-Ashville 80-69 at home and winning 71-49 at Tulane.

Wake Forest outrebounded UNC-Ashville 49-25 and Tulane 47-29.

Arkansas opened the season with a 97-79 victory over Alabama State on Sunday, but the Hornets outrebounded the Razorbacks 38-27.

Part of that margin was because of Arkansas shot 56.7 percent from the field and had only 26 chances for rebounds on its 60 shots, but most troubling for the Razorbacks is that Alabama State -- without a starter taller than 6-6 -- had 15 offensive rebounds on 39 misses.

Fortunately for the Razorbacks, Alabama State was only able to convert those offensive rebounds into 9-7 edge in second-chance points.

"Oftentimes we didn't take advantage of those shots," Hornets Coach Lewis Jackson said. "We kind of rushed because their guys were longer and bigger than we were, and we just kind of threw it up there instead of trying to draw the foul or put it in the basket."

Wake Forest, led inside by 6-9 junior Devin Thomas (averaging 19.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game) and 6-10 freshman Dinos Mitoglou (averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 rebounds), doesn't figure to be intimidated by the Razorbacks' size.

"We've got to be better in the rebounding department," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson. "I think we've got to put bodies on people, and let's go get the ball and get down the floor."

Arkansas 6-6 junior guard Michael Qualls said solving the Razorbacks' rebounding problems isn't complicated.

"Effort," he said. "Just pure effort."

Qualls had three rebounds in 30 minutes against Alabama State. Bobby Portis, the Razorbacks' 6-11 All-SEC sophomore forward, had four rebounds in 25 minutes. Forward Alandise Harris, a 6-6 senior, led Arkansas with six rebounds in 20 minutes.

"Me and Bobby were just having a conversation about our rebounding and how we need to pick it up," Qualls said. "It's unacceptable. We've got a big, athletic, strong team. There's no reason why we shouldn't be blasting people on the rebounds."

Arkansas' pressure defense and trapping all over the floor helped the Razorbacks rank fourth nationally in turnover margin per game last season at plus-5.5 and 10th in steals at 8.4.

It's understandable that style may result in being outrebounded, but a large deficit against an Atlantic Coast Conference team like Wake Forest could prove to be too much to overcome.

"We're winning the possession game, but it would be even more so with the rebounding because that's the finishing part of defense and that's something we really, really stress," Anderson said. "That's something that's probably [the Demon Deacons'] strength, and we just have to neutralize that and be in the ballpark."

Anderson said Arkansas' guards have to do their part in rebounding as well. Manuale Watkins, a 6-3 sophomore, had three rebounds in 15 minutes against Alabama State, but 6-5 senior Ky Madden and 6-3 junior Anthlon Bell didn't have a rebound in a combined 43 minutes. Jabril Durham, a 6-1 junior, had one rebound in 21 minutes

"As guards, we've got to put our heads in there and help the bigs out," Durham said. "Sometimes when they're boxing out, they won't be able to get a hand on the ball."

Qualls said it needs to be remembered Alabama State was the opener and the rebounding margin doesn't reflect what will happen this season -- or tonight against Wake Forest.

"It's just the first game," Qualls said. "The second game we want to be more tenacious and just be better. We shouldn't be having this conversation after the next game."

Sports on 11/19/2014