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

I’m making an executive decision here with the five-star wings. I personally view Gatorade National Player of the Year Gradey Dick as a true forward so I’ll be putting him into the frontcourt article in the future. But I will include MJ Rice, a top-20 overall prospect and quality scorer who has good size and shooting ability and could very well start, depending on what happens in the backcourt.

Another potential newcomer starter is Kevin McClullar, who comes from Texas Tech after averaging 10.1 ppg and 3.1 apg as a junior. The 6’6 guard can defend four different positions and is an elite individual and physical player, while also a solid scorer. He can also facilitate and after losing Remy Martin, could be the next starting point guard for the Jayhawks.

There are other options for Kansas to use in the backcourt, including last year’s starter and quality defender Dajuan Harris, Bobby Pettiford Jr., and Joseph Yesufu, who was buried on the bench last season after transferring over from Drake but can provide a scoring punch in the backcourt if the defensive-minded guards can’t do that.

There are plenty of solid guards for the Jayhawks that can either score or defend, so it’ll be up to head coach Bill Self to figure out which combinations work. It managed to work last season to win a national title but it may take a while this time around without a clear frontrunner outside of McCullar.