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

Although it’s a mostly completely new rotation of guards for the Big East program, UConn is returning a pair of young guards in Jordan Hawkins and Andre Jackson. Jackson started 32 games last season, averaging 6.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg, and plays bigger than his 6’6 listed height. Hawkins is a breakout candidate as a scoring guard, having four games of 14+ points as a freshman last season.

The key will be how the four incoming transfer guards work out. Tristen Newton is the star on paper, coming off a year of averaging 17.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, and 5.0 apg at East Carolina last season. The 6’5 guard also saw his efficiency taking a big leap compared to the two years prior and is capable of taking the lead guard role at UConn.

Nahiem Alleyne is a three-year starter from Virginia Tech with a career average of just below 10 ppg. But he’s known as a good defender and has a career three-point percentage of 38% from deep. And Joey Calcaterra is a 6’5 guard with four years of experience from San Diego and shot 38% from deep this past season as well.

Although Texas A&M transfer Hassan Diarra may be viewed as Newton’s backup point guard, he’s still a solid athlete and ball-handler and can play both on and off-ball in the backcourt. There’s a lot to like with UConn’s new guards but they have a ways to go before being viewed as better than last season’s group.