Rebounding, or lack thereof, continues to be on the mind of Colorado men’s basketball coach Jeff Bzdelik, with the Buffaloes’ Big 12 Conference opener looming two days away.
Colorado ranks last among Big 12 teams in rebounding (28.9), rebounding margin (minus-4.9) and offensive rebounds (5.93).
The Buffs (8-6) play Wednesday night at Missouri (13-3, 0-1 Big 12).
“I’m extremely disappointed in our ability to block people off (the boards),” Bzdelik said today on the Big 12 teleconference. “Rebounding is effort and positioning. We have drilled it, practiced it. We have shown them what to do on video tape.
“Certain people are doing it, and certain people aren’t. For us to be an effective team defensively – we’re getting initial (defensive) stops, but we’re not culminating our defense with defensive rebounds.”
A guard, 6-foot-5 sophomore Cory Higgins, leads Colorado in rebounding (6.5).
“It’s got to be everyone doing their job, and we’re not getting that from everyone,” Bzdelik said. “It’s just going to be a continuous emphasis. Hopefully, it will be a priority for everyone.
“That’s all we can do. We’re extremely young and inexperienced. It’s going to be a challenging year.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
