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NCAA Basketball: Ranking of top 25 team backcourts for 2023-24 season

Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Davonte Davis NCAA Basketball Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Davonte Davis NCAA Basketball Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

14. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks went the youth route a year ago, bringing in multiple five-star prospects from the highest-ranked recruiting class in program history. As expected, they’re off to the NBA, as both Anthony Black and Nick Smith ended up being 1st-round picks, while leading scorer Ricky Council also went pro. And both Derrian Ford and Barry Dunning also transferred out after limited roles as freshmen.

Along with sharpshooter Joseph Pinion, the key returning piece is Davonte Davis, who averaged 10.9 ppg and 2.5 apg as a junior. He’s a quality defender and capable scorer who seems to get in the doghouse for Coach Eric Musselman sometimes. He’s not the most experienced guy left, surrounded by several key transfers.

El Ellis was the leading scorer at Louisville, averaging 17.7 ppg and 4.4 apg on that awful team. Khalif Battle was in a similar situation at Temple, producing 17.9 ppg last season, including 13 games of at least 20 points. Tramon Mark was a starting guard at Houston and a double-digit scorer, while Jeremiah Davenport is a versatile wing from Cincinnati.

Add top-30 freshman guard Layden Blocker and you have one of the deepest backcourt rotations in the country. Even without Washington transfer Keyon Menifield, who is redshirting this year, there’s a lot of proven production for Coach Musselman to work with. The question simply is how it’ll all work out.