“I told the guys, ‘I’m sure in all the games I’ve coached, which is 700 or whatever at this point, I know I can count on two hands — 10 or less — where we’ve out-rebounded someone by 10 and lost,’ ” he said.
The Raiders dropped a 77-64 decision for their third straight defeat because of some toothless defense, allowing the Ramblers to shoot 58 percent from the field. And while Nagy knows he needs to shore up that department, he hopes his players' commitment to rebounding doesn't wane.
Despite a starting lineup that features one forward and four guards, they have a plus-3.4 rebound margin through 10 games and rank 125th out of 351 Division-I teams. They had 17 offensive rebounds against Loyola and average 11.4 per game, which is 137nd nationally.
That production may not seem like much, but the Raiders are vastly improved from previous seasons. They had a minus-3.5 rebound margin in 2015-16 and minus-5.2 in 2014-15, and they averaged 6.6 offensive rebounds last season and 7.5 the year before that.
Each of those figures ranked 290th or worse in the country.
“Some things get impacted negatively by offensive rebounding. You tend to give up a little higher field-goal percentage because you can get caught in transition on missed shots,” said Nagy, who always has at least three players crashing the boards.
“Last year’s team hardly ever offensive rebounded, so they always had five guys in front (of the opposing offense). You have to balance that.”
Nagy has found the pros outweigh the cons. Not only are the Raiders getting plenty of second-chance points — part of the reason they’re averaging 77.5 per game, nine more than last year — but they’re causing opponents to commit more fouls around the basket to prevent put-backs.
The Raiders are 13th nationally in free throws made (201) and 24th in attempts (264), and their 30th in free-throw percentage at 76.1.
But Nagy isn’t satisfied, believing they’ve become less aggressive offensively during their three-game skid.
“I’d like to see us get back to the free throw line more,” he said. “We’re shooting too many 3s right now, particularly too early in the shot clock. We’re not making their defense work at all. That has to change for us.”
One player especially adept at drawing contact is 6-foot-5 junior Mark Alstork. He’s made the second-most foul shots in the country (77) and is fifth in attempts (89). He’s connected on his last 16 free throws and is shooting 86.5 percent.
But though he’s averaging team-best 20.7 points, he’s become a priority target for opponents, and his field-goal percentage is plummeting.
He’s 21-for-71 in his last six games and is shooting 38.2 percent overall.
“Teams are loading up on him. He’s trying to figure that out, and we’re teaching him to play more without the ball,” Nagy said. “If you learn to move without the ball, you can get better shots.
“Where he is now, he’s just catching the ball and trying to go one-on-one, and teams are making it hard on him. He’s learning. It’s a process — just like it is for everyone else.”
TUESDAY’S GAME
Who: Urbana University (3-5) at Wright State (6-4)
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Nutter Center
TV/Radio: ESPN3, 106.5-FM
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