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

A lot of teams claim that they have depth but last season, head coach Kelvin Sampson and the Cougars showed it. They lost 30 ppg of scoring in the backcourt and still had the elite guard play to make it to the Elite 8.

A couple of them are back, including breakout star and starting point guard, Jamal Shead. As a sophomore, the 6’1 playmaker averaged 10.0 ppg and 5.8 apg, which led the AAC and was even more than Memphis transfer Kendric Davis. Shead had five games of double-digit assists, while also showing that he can score, with his two best games (18 and 21 points), coming in the NCAA Tournament.

The two injured guards are back, starting with Marcus Sasser. His All-American campaign was cut short in just 12 games but he was averaging 17.7 ppg and 2.6 apg, shooting 44% from both the field overall and specifically from three-point range. In four of those 12 games, Sasser scored either 25 or 26 points. If he replicates those numbers next season, he’ll likely be the AAC Player of the Year and an All-American.

Tramon Mark’s season-ending injury was overshadowed by losing Sasser but in seven games off the bench, the 6’5 guard averaged 10.1 ppg on 45% shooting from the field. He can be one of the best 6th Men in NCAA Basketball next season when healthy and only adds to the talented backcourt.

Houston also added Texas Tech transfer Mylik Wilson, a solid defensive guard that can fit in the rotation. Plus, 6’4 freshman Emanuel Sharp is a top-50 prospect and highest-ranked incoming guard in program history. And Terrance Arceneaux is a four-star wing and long-term prospect that also adds to the depth.

Shead is one of the best point guards in NCAA Basketball, Sasser is one of the best scoring guards, and Mark is one of the best 6th Men. Add the veterans and talented freshmen to the core and you have on paper, the best group of perimeter players in the sport heading into the 2022-23 season.