Creighton at Seton Hall: 2020-21 storylines for Big East matchup

Obiagu and Mamukelashvili’s rebounding

With just three players on their official roster who do not measure at least 6’5, the Pirates are among the top five tallest teams in Division I basketball. Despite the size at all positions, the Pirates average just 35.7 rebounds per game. Even less impressive is the nine offensive rebounds they grab per game, which ranks them No.212 in the nation.

The old adage in basketball is ‘You can’t teach height’ but it is possible to teach players to play big, and playing big is not what the Pirates have been doing five games into the conference schedule. At 6’6 junior Jared Rhoden is the Pirates leading rebounder at 7.6 per game, while Mamukelashvili averages under seven and 7’2 Obiagu averages five per game.

The Pirates guards are going to have a heightened sense of importance as they will be required to box out the Bluejays’ guards on the perimeter as three-point misses have a tendency to result in long rebounds, which in turn, will minimize the height advantage the Pirates have in the paint.

If the Pirates are going to take control of the gameplay they will have to take advantage of the smaller Bluejays and eclipse their nine offensive rebound average. A possibility that leads into the next big storyline of the game.