One factor in UMBC's 1-9 start – which included the team's first win of the season on Sunday against Longwood – has been an inability to win the battle of the boards.
Opponents have outrebounded the Retrievers by an average of 6.3 rebounds – a margin that ranks 324th out of 345 Division I programs. The team's 22.9 defensive boards per game ranks 243rd, and the 31.4 total rebounds rank 294th.
The rebounding disadvantage hasn't escaped the attention of coach Aki Thomas.
"It's a concern," he said Thursday. "It's something that we talk about, it's something that we are constantly drilling into the guys. In order to get possessions after you make stops, you need to get rebounds, and we're going to have to be a better rebounding team to have success. So that's something that we definitely talk about, and it is a concern."
To ensure that UMBC is pounding the defensive glass, Thomas said the players are instructed to turn toward the basket after every opposing shot and pounce on the loose ball.
"We need all five guys in the paint to gang-rebound," he said. "We're not the tallest team by any stretch. So we definitely want to make sure that we have the rebound secured before we try to break out for offense."
That concentrated effort, however, would seem to inhibit the Retrievers' ability to run after missed shots and begin fastbreaks. For the season, they have outscored their opponents, 59-50, on fastbreaks, but haven't reached double digits in fastbreak points since scoring 10 in a season-opening 74-57 loss at Akron on Nov. 14.
So does that mean that UMBC is willing to sacrifice fastbreak points for rebounds?
"You've got to have possession," Thomas said. "I hate to use the word sacrifice, but yes, we want to make sure that we have possession before we can even attempt to score."