Backcourts run the game from the moment the clock starts running. Comprised of the smaller players on a team, its almost always guards who are in charge of the game.
While this section of the bracket is stuffed to the gills with talented big men, there are quite a few guards who can carry their teams to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.
Here are the eight best backcourts entering the Round of 64 in the Midwest Region:
Ali Ali has brought quite the buzz to Akron’s men’s basketball program. His elite combination with Greg Tribble to run the court for the Zips is a big part of why Akron has its spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Ali is averaging 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. While Tribble is only averaging 10.5 points per game, he is also contributing 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists to his team’s total.
Tribble and Ali are a dynamic duo when they’re at their best for the Zips, not to mention the team’s star forward Enrique Freeman who is adding 18.6 points per game to the scoring total.
The Cowboys are on the hot streak of all hot streaks as they head into the NCAA Tournament. Currently on an 11-game winning streak, McNeese State marched its way through the Southland Conference Tournament and a 30-3 overall record.
Running the backcourt are gaurds Shahada Wells, Javohn Garcia, and D.J. Richards Jr.
Wells is averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Garcia and Richards and combining for 22.8 points and 5.5. Rebounds when they share the court.
The three guards are playing more than 25 minutes a game each and have heavily contributed to the Cowboys’ success this season.
Utah State finished first in the Mountain West over the regular season but struggled against San Diego State in the conference tournament.
Ian Martinez and Darius Brown II have led the team over this season with 25.5 combined points per game. Brown leads the team in assists and steals with 6.5 and 1.5 respectively.
Martinez and Brown combined with shooting forward Great Osobor makes for a threatening trio in the backcourt.
If the Aggies can continue their offensive dominance, currently averaging 79.8 points per game, we could see quite the impressive run for Utah State this March.
Arguably one of the hottest teams heading into March Madness, the Ducks are led by their starting guards Jermaine Couisnard and Jackson Shelstad.
Couisnard leads the team in points (525), assists (111), and steals (55) throughout the season. Shelstad, just a freshman, is averaging 13.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.
The duo is lethal on the court. The combination of Couisnard’s calm demeanor and experience with Shelstad’s pure style of play and court vision is hard to stop when they’re in their pocket.
If Shelstad and Couisnard can find their rhythm, the Oreogn is a threat to anyone who crosses its path.
Gonzaga dropped to No. 18 in the country after being upset by Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference Tournament. However, throughout the season, the Bulldogs’ backcourt has been a dominant force for opponents to reckon with.
Nolan Hickman and Ryan Nembhard are averaging a combined 26.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.
While big man Graham Ike is the star of the team, Hickman and Nembhard are crucial pieces of the Zags’ successful year. Nembhard averages 35.7 points per game while Hickman is averaging 35.4 minutes for Bulldogs, the two most present players for the team.
While Texas may be struggling to find consistency in their schedule, the Horns’ guards are playing extremely well.
Max Abmas leads the team with 17.1 points and 4.3 assists per game while staying on the court for nearly 35 minutes per matchup.
Tyrese Hunter, who has seen some of the most impressive growth this season, is averaging 11.2 points, 4.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He leads the team in steals with an average of 1.4 per appearance.
Combining Abmas and Hunter’s offensive capabilities creates a dynamic duo on the court.
The Volunteers are a problem for any team that encounters them in the NCAA Tournament. After being upset by Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament, the Vols will be out for blood and that includes key backcourt players Dalton Knecht, Zakai Zeigler, and Josiah-Jordan James.
Knecht is averaging an astonishing 21.1 points per game. Zeigler is producing 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals when he takes the court.
With James on the court, the trio has combined for 41.4 points, more than half the team’s average. The trio has helped lead Tennessee to its two-seed in the tournament and No. 6 national ranking.
Creighton has one of the most highly productive offenses in the country this season and it is led by an all-star trio in the backcourt.
Baylor Scheierman, Trey Alexander, and Steven Ashworth are three of the four leading scorers for the Bluejays and each play an average of 34.8 points per game
Alexander leads Creighton with 4.8 assists per game. Ashworth contributes an impressive 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Scheierman is the true star of the show and his numbers prove it. He averages 18.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He also contributes 1.0 steal and 0.2 blocks when the Bluejays compete.
This trio is by far and away the most fatal backcourt in the Midwest Region and quite possibly the nation.