BLOOMINGTON – Early in the second half of Northwestern’s 76-72 win over IU, Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson ran up to screen for Ryan Langborg on the left arc. Recognizing nobody was near the paint, the savvy senior bailed on setting the screen, instead rolling to the hoop for a two-handed flush.

IU starting forwards Malik Reneau and Mackenzie Mgbako were the help defenders on the weak side of the floor, but neither was alert enough to pick up Nicholson in time. The play — which featured three Hoosiers falling asleep — was a microcosm of IU’s afternoon Sunday.

The Wildcats won this game in part because they played like the hungrier of the two teams. Northwestern hauled in 14 offensive rebounds (seven by Nicholson) and had 12-second chance points. While the Hoosiers outscored Northwestern 38-26 in the paint, they were frequently unprepared to finish possessions when Northwestern put shots up.

“You’ve got to box out more and crack down on the big when I go to like block a shot,” IU center Kel’el Ware said. “Just got to work on rebounding more.”

Insider: Watching Hoosiers slog through another loss, it feels like IU has begun assuming the worst

Mike Woodson built an IU roster that’s larger than most. The starting frontcourt of Mgbako (6-8), Reneau (6-9) and Ware (7-0) presents plenty of length to opposing offenses. Theoretically, Woodson would take this team’s dreadful shooting (32.8% on 3s this season) in exchange for how larger lineups impact rebounding and defense.

But when watching this team play, it hardly feels like it employs one of the biggest lineups in the country. Rebounding has been a challenge for Indiana from the start of the year. Having a contingent of tall players should give the Hoosiers a rebounding edge, but their engagement simply isn’t where it needs to be.

“We have to utilize our strengths when we're on the floor being big, but it didn't help us tonight,” Woodson said.

KenPom’s average height statistic — which adjusts for minutes played — has IU’s roster as the fourth-tallest in the country at 79 inches (6-7). That mark is the highest in the Big Ten, with Illinois (78.8 inches) being the lone other team ranked top-10 nationally. While the Hoosiers are one of the tallest teams in the country, they rank in the 200s in offensive rebound rate (27.2%) and defensive rebound rate (69.6%).

Against Northwestern, the rebounding concerns reappeared. The Wildcats — who are the worst offensive rebounding team in the Big Ten — capitalized when Ware attempted blocks and the surrounding players didn’t clean up the glass behind him. Northwestern’s 14 offensive boards were the second most it has had all year.

Not only is Indiana’s size not effective on the glass, but it also doesn’t give the team a sizable defensive edge. Although the Hoosiers typically outscore teams in the paint, they foul more than a team this tall and long should. Northwestern attempted 28 free throws Sunday, marking the third consecutive game Indiana’s opponent shot over 25 times at the line.

Granted, 12 of Northwestern’s free-throw attempts came when IU intentionally fouled to extend the game’s final minute, but the Hoosiers often find themselves in foul trouble.

Reneau fouled out Sunday for the fifth time this season. The sophomore’s foul issues were less significant in his backup minutes last season. But now, the constant fouling by IU’s leading scorer is detrimental.

“I wasn't happy with him after the game,” Woodson claimed. “... We’ve just got to keep working with him because we need him on the basketball floor.”

IU puts a tall team on the court, but it doesn’t play tall. Blend that with inconsistent perimeter shooting, and you get a team that’s not good enough to compete for the Big Ten or NCAA tournament. Simply put, the tradeoff for size in favor of shooting isn’t paying dividends for Woodson.

Whether it’s by spreading the floor or becoming a dominant rebounding force, something has to change for the Hoosiers stylistically next season.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU basketball has one of nation's tallest teams, but can't rebound