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An analysis of the ACC's top returning male rebounders illustrates the important difference between per-game and per-minute averages in determining relative strengths among players.
Consider that North Carolina's very large (but trimmed down) sophomore, Kennedy Meeks, finished 19th last season in rebound average with 6.1. Among returning leaders that ranks seventh.
But per-game averages don't take opportunity into account. Meeks got 16.3 minutes of playing time per appearance. That was fewest among the top 20. Recalibrate based on efficiency, and Meeks paces the leaders with a board every 2.68 minutes.
Duke's Jabari Parker had 8.7 rebounds per game to top the league, a rate fifth-fastest among ACC regulars (3.513 per minute) after Meeks, Georgia Tech's Charles Mitchell (2.97), UNC's Brice Johnson and Duke's Amile Jefferson.
Parker was joined among the top 10 in rebound rate calculated per game or per minute by Pitt's Talib Zanna and UVa's Akil Mitchell. Note that the Cavs' Mitchell, now graduated, was seventh in per-minute efficiency among last season's leaders. His rebounding and defense is an overlooked loss for a Virginia squad that led in rebound margin (6.1 in all games) en route to a sweep of ACC regular-season and tournament titles.
| MEEKS SHALL INHABIT THE BOARDS Fastest Per-Minute Rebounders Among ACC's 2014 Top 20 |
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| Per Min. | Player, School | Avg | Rank | Total | Min/Game |
| 2.676 | Kennedy Meeks, NC | 6.1 | 19 | 207 | 16.3 |
| 2.966 | Charles Mitchell, M(GT) | 6.3 | 16 | 203 | 18.8 |
| 3.158 | Brice Johnson, NC | 6.1 | 18 | 209 | 19.4 |
| 3.314 | Amile Jefferson, D | 6.9 | 11 | 240 | 22.7 |
| 3.513 | Jabari Parker, D* | 8.7 | 1 | 306 | 30.7 |
| 3.537 | Talib Zanna, PU* | 8.6 | 2 | 300 | 30.3 |
| 3.372 | Akil Mitchell, V* | 7.0 | 10 | 259 | 25.7 |
| 3.739 | Devin Thomas, WF | 7.5 | 4 | 249 | 28.2 |
| 3.938 | Daniel Miller, GT* | 7.8 | 3 | 258 | 30.8 |
| 3.942 | Garrick Sherman, ND* | 7.3 | 5 | 225 | 28.6 |