NCAA Basketball: Best rebounders from all 32 conferences for 2020-21 season
By Bryan Mauro
Atlantic Sun – Ahsan Asadullah (Lipscomb)
The junior big man is one of the favorites for the Atlantic Sun player of the year and he is also the overwhelming favorite for the best rebounder in the conference. The overall talent in the conference is getting better and Asadullah is one of the best. The junior center can take over a game on both the offensive end and on the glass quickly. When he starts to take over the game, he can be very overwhelming on the opponents.
Asadullah became a full-time starter last year and he turned that into a double-double average. His 10 rebounds per game were near the top of the country in total rebounds and defensive rebounds at 7.4 per game.
While Asadullah does most of his damage on the defensive glass he still averaged a little under three offensive rebounds per game which is better than average on the offensive end. Nothing suggests the junior center will not be one of the best rebounders in the country this season.
Big 12 – Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia)
The big man from the Congo was an absolute force on the glass all year. He led the Mountaineers in rebounding and honestly it was a surprise when he announced he would be returning to Morgantown for his sophomore year. After just one season, Tshiebwe has turned into one of the most feared rebounders in the country.
Opponents can never lose sight of him on the floor when a shot goes up, if the big man is free, he is going to come down with the rebound. Not one single player in division 1 basketball impacted the game more from a rebounding standpoint than Tshiebwe.
Tshiebwe was the second-best offensive rebounder in the country. Yes, you all read that correctly he was the second-best offensive rebounder in the country, he averaged over four offensive rebounds per game and that led to a ton of extended possessions for the Mountaineers. Last season 19% of his rebounds were on the offensive glass.
The former five-star recruit lived up to the hype in year one in Morgantown and he is going to be an opposing coach’s nightmare trying to figure out a way to keep him off the glass.
Big East – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (Villanova)
The Big East Freshman of the Year just happens to play for the best team in the country and looks poised to help lead his team to another National Championship. Anyone who has watched the sophomore wing play knows that he can affect a game in a lot of ways with his scoring and his rebounding. While the ability to score the ball is going to improve and likely a great deal this year, his rebounding is already elite, and he is the best rebounder in the Big East.
Robinson-Earl would have likely been a lottery pick in this year’s draft had he decided to leave, however, he never entered and is now one of the favorites for conference player of the year. His 9.4 rebounds per game were good enough for fourth overall last year in the league and with graduations and transfers, he now takes the reigns as the best rebounder to go along with the overall best player in the league. Villanova is loaded and Robinson-Earl makes them that much better.
Big Sky – Kim Aiken Jr. (Eastern Washington)
The Junior forward had a breakout season last year for the Big Sky favorites. He was top 50 in the country in double-doubles and was huge for the Eagles on the defensive end. One thing he did better than every other player in the league was rebound, statistically, he was one of the best defensive rebounders in the country finishing fourth overall with just a shade over eight per game.
The one thing to watch out for this year is the increase in the forward’s ability on the offensive glass. He was a great defensive rebounder and overall defender which helped his team win a lot of games and win the Big Sky regular-season crown, but he was only able to haul in 49 offensive rebounds.
Now that his frontcourt mate Mason Peatling is gone, look for Aiken Jr. to take his offensive rebounding game to the next level and become one of the best all-around rebounders in the entire country.