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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 Gibson Jimerson Saint Louis Billikens (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
NCAA Basketball Gibson Jimerson Saint Louis Billikens (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

10. Saint Louis Billikens

As expected, the Billikens had one of the best backcourt duos in NCAA Basketball last season. However, it was Yuri Collins and not Javonte Perkins. After averaging 17.1 ppg on 47% shooting from the field and 38% from three-point range, in 2020-21, Perkins suffered a season-ending leg injury and missed all of last year. However, he’s coming back, giving Saint Louis a huge boost on offense.

The guy who did step up in Perkins’ absence was Gibson Jimmerson. The 6’5 shooting guard led the team with 16.3 ppg last season, shooting 45% from the field and a whopping 42% from three-point range. 16 of Jimmerson’s 35 games saw him go for 19+ points, including a career-high 31 points on 7/10 from three-point range versus UMass. He’s one of the most efficient shooters in NCAA Basketball and will have even more room to operate with Perkins coming back.

It also means more assists for returning point guard Collins, who nearly left the team this offseason via the portal. He had a career-high 11.7 ppg and 7.9 apg, which led all of NCAA Basketball last season. That included a program-record 19 against Boston College. But his best game had to have been his 35-point and 13-assist effort in the double-digit overtime win over George Mason.

There’s also a good amount of depth behind them, including Fred Thatch Jr., Missouri transfer Javon Pickett and JUCO transfer Sincere Parker. With so much talent on the backcourt, they may be forced to play four-guard lineups to make everyone happy. But few power conference teams have the firepower on offense that Saint Louis will have on the perimeter, assuming that Perkins will be back healthy.

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