Having the 7'1" Big East Defensive POTY is certainly going to help give you an advantage on the boards. Strength & conditioning had nothing to do with Kalkbrenner's height. Want to know what helps more? Defensive rebounding opportunities. Akron had 9 offensive rebounds to Creighton's 5. Akron had 17 defensive rebounds to Creighton's 33. When Creighton doesn't miss, there are going to be fewer opportunities. When we miss a ton, Creighton is gonna have more opportunities.
The only thing exposed that game was us sucking eggs shooting wise, and Creighton had an all-time shooting game. Had Creighton shot a solid 40% from 3 (above national average), Akron would've had a good chance at winning that game.