Last season, the most rebounds that Syracuse had in any game was 50. This year, that would be a below-average performance. Through four games, Syracuse is averaging almost 52 rebounds a game.

Though still early in the season, in three of SU’s first four games, eclipsing 50 boards has been the norm. The only contest where Syracuse couldn’t surpass its season high from a year ago was against No. 6 North Carolina on Nov. 18, in which it only fell four short.

The Orange (3-1) will try to continue the dominance on the glass this weekend when it plays in two games at the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawk Classic in Monroe, La. The first of those games is Saturday at 2 p.m. against Eastern Kentucky (3-0), and depending on the outcome of that game, Syracuse will face either Louisiana-Monroe (3-1) or Alabama State (0-1).

‘It doesn’t matter who we play,’ Syracuse’s leading rebounder, Fantasia Goodwin, said. ‘We’re always going to go after (the ball). We don’t care if you’re a WNBA team, we’re going to go after it and get the rebound.’

Last season, SU ranked 11th in the Big East in rebounds per game. This year, the Orange has the rest of the conference looking up at it, as it’s the only team to average at least 50 rebounds per game. It also ranks second in rebounding margin, a stat last year where the SU tied for 14th in the Big East. This year, it’s grabbing more than 13 more boards a game than its opponents.

Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman is quick to credit the team’s newly acquired depth, which wasn’t available last year, as to why rebounding is a sudden strength.

‘Last year, a lot of it was that we couldn’t because of our depth, because of our bodies and our athleticism,’ Hillsman said. ‘Right now, we definitely have the athleticism to get to the glass, so that’s a big reason why we are getting so many rebounds.’

That depth has been boosted by Chandrea Jones, a junior college transfer, who is second on the team in rebounds with 8.8 per game. But the new, young talent and depth is just part of the reason for the rebounding success. Returning players like Goodwin are benefiting from having extra help.

Goodwin leads the teams with 41 rebounds through only four games. She is doing it on both ends of the courts, too, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and 22 defensive rebounds.

The balanced attack by Syracuse is one of the reasons it leads the Big East in rebounding. The Orange averages more than 22 offensive rebounds per game. The closest team to SU is Cincinnati, who averages 20 a game and is the only other team to surpass 20 in the conference.

Seven times last year, the Orange was unsuccessful getting double-digit offensive rebounds. The season high was 18 against West Virginia and DePaul. This season, SU has yet to grab fewer than 20 offensive boards.

‘There’s been a big emphasis this year, especially compared to last year,’ sophomore Nicole Michael said. ‘(We were) not going to the boards as much as this year. It’s a major difference and we see it. We’re just going to keep going.’

The improvement is not hard to see. Yet no matter how much Hillsman and his staff coach his players, the reason for the all rebounding doesn’t have to do with a game plan.

‘We’re doing a lot of different things,’ Hillsman said. ‘But I think more than anything else is that they want it. And they really want to get on the glass.’

A reason for those offensive rebounds might be that SU is shooting below 20 percent from 3-point and 36 percent from the field on the season, both of which rank last among Big East schools.

Until those shots start falling, the players will just have to reap the benefits of the other teams’ missed shots.

‘What I tell my team is, ‘Shoot the ball,” Goodwin said. ”You’re going to make it or I’m going to get the rebound so either way it’s good.”

Published on November 29, 2007 at 12:00 pm