Breaking Down Michigan’s Defensive Rebounding Woes Against Maryland
Rebounding is often described as a battle of will, but it’s also a matter of geometry, timing, and execution. Sure, athleticism plays a role-especially when you’ve got a guy like Pharrell Payne attacking the glass-but most of it comes down to positioning and boxing out. That’s where Michigan struggled against Maryland, and it cost them in the form of 18 second-chance points.
Let’s dig into why those breakdowns happened, and how Michigan’s own defensive philosophy-built to challenge shots and protect the rim-might be putting them at a disadvantage on the boards.
The Defensive Trade-Off: Pressure vs. Position
Michigan’s defense is aggressive. They close out on shooters hard, they challenge everything at the rim, and they keep defenders in motion. That’s a recipe for disruption, but it also pulls players out of rebounding position.
When a defender flies out to contest a three, that’s one less body available to box out. When a big rotates to block a shot or deter a drive, he’s no longer between his man and the rim. And when help defenders are focused on switching or bumping cutters, they can lose track of who they’re supposed to put a body on when the shot goes up.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward style, but against a team like Maryland, that risk showed up in the form of second-chance buckets. Let’s walk through three key possessions that tell the story.
1. Physics, Payne, and a Poster
Time on the clock: 13:25 in the first half. Maryland’s Diggy Coit is working a pick-and-roll at the top of the key.
Michigan’s Nimari Burnett is defending him tightly, and Aday Mara is ready to switch onto the ball handler. Pharrell Payne sets the screen and rolls hard to the rim.
Mara steps up to challenge Coit, while LJ Cason slides off his man in the corner to help.
Coit kicks it to the corner for an open three. It rims out-but that’s where the trouble starts.
Under the basket, Mara has identified Payne but has his back turned to the rim. Solomon Washington, who was originally Roddy Gayle Jr.’s assignment, crashes down to bump Payne, but doesn’t stay with him.
Burnett sees Washington coming and peels off. The shot comes off the rim and Payne, who’s now unchecked, muscles his way under Mara and throws down a putback dunk.
So who’s responsible? Honestly, it’s a combination of things.
Mara had to contest the shot-he did his job. Gayle might’ve had a shot at containing Payne, but he was tracking Washington.
And Washington? He made contact but didn’t finish the job.
Payne’s athleticism did the rest.
2. Mara Rotates, Nobody Helps
Next Maryland possession, similar result. Another miss, another Payne dunk.
This time, it starts with a breakdown on the perimeter. Adams drives into the paint, and Mara rotates to stop the ball-again, doing exactly what the scheme asks of him.
But when he steps up, Payne is left alone. Cason and Gayle are both in position to help, but neither gets a body on Payne.
Burnett and Yax are locked in on the perimeter, guarding against the three. Cason likely needed to tag Payne once the shot went up, but didn’t.
The result? Payne grabs the miss and throws it down again.
This one’s not on Mara. He did what Michigan’s defense requires-protect the rim. The breakdown came from the wings not rotating down to cover his back.
3. The Box-Out That Wasn’t
Later in the half, with 7:56 on the clock, Coit fires up a contested three-one of the few he missed on the day. Andrew Mills, his teammate, ends up with the rebound and buries a step-back three. It’s a killer sequence, and it boils down to one thing: no box out.
Trey McKenney had Mills identified. He even had an arm on him.
But when the shot went up, McKenney didn’t finish the play. No hips, no seal, no control.
Mills beat him to the ball and made Michigan pay.
This one’s simple. You’ve got to put your body on your man. McKenney didn’t, and it cost them.
The Bigger Picture: High-Event Basketball Comes With a Price
Michigan’s playing a fast-paced, high-event style. They’re trying to create chaos, force mistakes, and keep opponents off balance. That approach naturally creates more possessions and, by extension, more opportunities for things like second-chance points.
But here’s the trade-off: when you’re constantly switching, rotating, and flying out to contest shots, you’re not always in position to rebound. That’s where the 80% of rebounding-positioning, boxing out, physicality-can fall apart.
It’s not a matter of effort. Michigan’s playing hard.
But in a scheme like this, you’ve got to be even more disciplined when the shot goes up. You’ve got to find your man, make contact, and finish the play.
Moving Forward
The good news? These are correctable mistakes.
They’re not about talent or athleticism-they’re about execution. If Michigan wants to clean up the second-chance points, it starts with accountability on the glass.
Mara’s doing what he’s asked to do. The wings and guards need to finish the job behind him.
And if the last 10 games are any indication, this is a group that can-and likely will-adjust. The system isn’t broken.
But when you’re playing with this much defensive energy, you’ve got to match it with physicality on the boards. Otherwise, you’re giving away free points.
And in a tight Big Ten race, those add up fast.