Backcourts win the big games in March. UConn’s trio of guards — Tristen Newton, Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle — helped the Huskies bulldoze their way to a second-straight national championship. The three combined for 46 points in the Huskies’ 75-60 win over Purdue in the title game and chipped in 18 rebounds and 12 assists. There’s a handful of backcourts with championship-level potential entering the 2024-25 season. We ranked the top 10.
Return-or-go decisions factored heavily into these rankings. Two teams on this list — Arizona and North Carolina — returned conference players of the year at the guard spot. Others, including Duke and Alabama, are also poised to benefit heavily from veteran leadership opting to stay on campus.
Guards made up nearly half of the transfer portal top 15 this offseason, and those players will define the 2024-25 college basketball season. Elite shooting guards — including Johnell Davis and AJ Storr — helped Arkansas and Kansas make our ranking, though both squads would be top 10-caliber without them.
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Here are the top 10 backcourts in college basketball entering the 2024-25 season: