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NCAA Basketball: Ranking the top 25 team backcourts for 2022-23 season

By Tristan Freeman

Dec 1, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) with the ball in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 1, 2021; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) with the ball in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball St. Bonaventure Bonnies guard Kyle Lofton Nicole Sweet-USA TODAY Sports /

With the rosters close to being set for the 2022-23 NCAA Basketball season, it’s time to start comparing them with each other. That includes positions in both the frontcourt and backcourt. We’ve done this before in years past around this time and I was inspired by the Field of 68’s latest rankings of the best “backcourt duos” from this past week.

Those five teams made the final cut but what would happen if you include all of the guards from a respective roster? This project will do just that, including players who play the traditional “small forward” spot but primarily plays in the backcourt. So players such as Julian Strawther (Gonzaga), Cam Whitmore (Villanova), and Matthew Mayer (Baylor) weren’t considered when reviewing those respective programs.

Here are the top 25 collective “backcourts” for next season.

Honorable Mention: Florida Gators

St. Bonaventure transfer Kyle Lofton leads a revamped backcourt, joined by Belmont sophomore Will Richard, VMI playmaker Trey Bonham and returning guard Myreon Jones. There’s a good amount of talent here but I can’t put them on the list with three mid-major transfers; haven’t seen how they’ll do in SEC play. But it wouldn’t be a shock if this core is in the top 20 overall.

HM: Bryant Bulldogs

Although they lost last season’s leading scorer in NCAA Basketball (Peter Kiss), they still return 17 ppg scoring guard, Charles Pride. Joining him in the backcourt is 16 ppg scoring transfer Chauncey Hawkins, Saint Peter’s sharpshooter Doug Edert, and Memphis wing transfer and former top-50 prospect, Earl Timberlake. It’s the kind of firepower that will overpower everyone in the America East, including perennial power Vermont.

HM: Texas Tech Red Raiders

A completely new-look backcourt is led by transfer De’Vion Harmon, a solid starting combo guard from Oregon and Oklahoma. Other transfers are D’maurian Williams (Gardner-Webb) and former UNC guard Kerwin Walton. The losses of Kevin McCullar and Terrence Shannon Jr. certainly stung but the Red Raiders did a good job reloading this offseason.

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