Rhode Island Basketball: 3 takeaways from loss to Western Kentucky

2:  They need to box out and play bigger

The Rams have struggled with boxing out and grabbing rebounds through their seven games this season but, it really showed against the Hilltoppers.

The Hilltoppers may not have been as athletic as Rhody but, they played bigger and were able to grab more rebounds.

Western Kentucky grabbed 38 total rebounds and 13 of which were offensive. Rhode Island only managed to grab a total of 28 rebounds and nine of which were offensive.

Rhode Island is a deeper team this year, especially in the frontcourt. The Rams’ big men need to haul down more rebounds especially on offensive possessions for second opportunities. They allowed too many opportunities for Western Kentucky to grab rebounds.

Antwan Walker grabbed six rebounds against Western Kentucky while Makhel Mitchell had four but, the Rams hardly ever boxed out and played bigger in the paint.

This is something that Western Kentucky does a great job at especially Charles Bassey who had nine rebounds and five blocks. The 6-foot-11 junior boxed out on almost every possession and played even bigger than his size.

If Rhode Island can play bigger under the rim and box out during offensive and defensive possessions, they could put up more second-chance points and find more ways to score. Rhody has the players and the depth to grab rebounds effectively but, they just need to execute when inside the paint.