Inside the College Game: Top Starting BackcourtsBy:

Very few college basketball teams get far into March without having a great backcourt. North Carolina had an outstanding combo with Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington last year, both 1st round picks that took the Tar Heels to the title. This year there are some very good backcourts as well. Some are young and unproven, but could be lethal. Other backcourts are proven with plenty of experience and back for one more shot. Take a look at the top dozen backcourts in college basketball this year.

Top Dozen Starting Backcourts

1. Michigan State: Kalin Lucas & Durrell Summers

Last year’s National runner-ups are returning an explosive backcourt. Led by Big Ten Player of the Year in Kalin Lucas, any backcourt would be impressive. But, the Spartans will put junior Durrell Summers alongside Lucas and he should counter him well. Even when the coach Tom Izzo goes to the bench (or 3 guard line ups) he won’t lose much. Junior Chris Allen has experience and played 19 minutes a game last year for the Big Ten champs.

2. Kansas: Sherron Collins & Tyshawn Taylor

Sherron Collins may be the best lead guard in the country, and he is now a senior with tons of experience. But, the Jayhawks backcourt fire power doesn’t end there. Sophomore Tyshawn Taylor should come into his own after a year of experience. Taylor suffered a thumb injury during a campus brawl with football players, but will recover completely. If Taylor does miss time, coach Bill Self has possibly the top freshman in the nation with Xavier Henry. Henry will get minutes at the 3-spot as well, but should be in the backcourt a lot, making the Jayhawks incredibly dangerous. The Jayhawks have another blue chip recruit coming in and adding depth in Elijah Johnson.

3. Villanova: Scottie Reynolds & Corey Fisher

The Wildcats got to the Final Four last year with great backcourt play. They will have to rely on them even more this year with the departure of forward Dante Cunningham to the NBA and a more youthful frontcourt. It is a good backcourt to rely on because Villanova has the best in the Big East. This will be Scottie Reynolds fourth year playing major minutes. Corey Fisher is an explosive point guard alongside him. Junior classmate Corey Stokes will see time at the 2 and 3 spots and looks ready to emerge. All three players will see time together for a good portion of the season. The trio should lead the Wildcats near the top of the Big East standings once again. By stepping up, the Coreys could have Nova fans giddy similar to 80’s schoolgirls were with Coreys (Feldman and Haim).

4. Oklahoma: Willie Warren & Tommy Mason-Griffin

Warren got overshadowed last year playing with the best player in the nation, Blake Griffin. This year it will be Warren’s team and he should be one of the deadliest guards in the country. Last year he averaged 14.6 points and he will get even more touches this year. Running the show from day one is bulldog freshman Tommy Mason-Griffin, who is going to surprise a lot of people and could easily be one of the top 3-5 freshmen performers in the country. He can score and distribute and is ready now to be a game changer for the Sooners. At 6-6 Tony Crocker will probably play a little more small forward, but does have guard skills, especially knocking down shots, where he had 59 three-pointers last year. The Sooners strength has switched from a power game last year to an explosive backcourt, but expect them to still win a boatload of games.

5. California: Patrick Christopher & Jerome Randle

The Pac-Ten is way down this year but the Bears feature one of the most experienced and talented backcounts in the country in Christopher and Randle. Randle was a model of efficiency with a staggering 18 ppg on 50% fg, 46% 3p and 86% ft all the while running the show effectively from the point guard position at a break neck speed. Patrick Christopher impressed folks during the summer at the LeBron Skills Academy in the counselor games. He’s a high flier with a solid outside shot. This duo should have Cal in the thick of the Pac Ten title race all year and gives them a shot to make some noise in March.

6. Connecticut: Kemba Walker & Jerome Dyson

Walker was one of the best guards coming off any bench last year. He was instantly productive for the Huskies, especially in the NCAA tournament. With A.J. Price gone, Walker will step in and join Dyson to form one of the best backcourts in the country. Dyson was missed greatly last year when he went down with an injury, best was the Huskies leading scorer last year before he got hurt. A full season by Dyson along with Walker maturing as a sophomore should give Coach Jim Calhoun his usual explosive backcourt.

7. Mississippi: Terrico White & Chris Warren

White is a budding star who showed the ability to play both guard positions filling in for the injured Warren last season. He comes into his sophomore season as one of the top 2-guards in the country with the ability to take over games with great speed and penetration ability. After missing much of last season due to a knee injury, Chris Warren (19.6 ppg, 4 asts in 11 games as soph) is expected to be back running the point for the Rebels. This duo could challenge for backcourt supremacy in the country if Warren gets back to where he was prior to the knee injury.

8. Kentucky: John Wall & Eric Bledsoe

The starter alongside Wall is in question but will likely be fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe that gets the starting nod. The key is John Wall. He should hit the ground running for coach Calipari and could have a Derrick Rose-like impact, where he leads Kentucky to the very top of the rankings in his first year. The problem is that his first year will be his last year most likely. Wall is a huge prospect and if he lives up to the hype this year, he could end up being the top pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.

9. Georgetown: Chris Wright & Austin Freeman

The Hoyas were disappointing last year and everyone blamed their youth for the reason. Well, this year they can’t make the same excuse and Wright and Freeman are prime examples. Both are now juniors and both were highly touted recruits coming in. If Georgetown is going to get back to their usual Big East-giant style, Wright and Freeman will have to live up to the hype. They were not bad last year, Wright averaged 12.5 ppg and Freeman 11.4 ppg. But, they will have to step up even more and should lead John Thompson III and his team to another March appearance.

10. Gonzaga: Matt Bouldin & Steven Gray

This will be Bouldin’s fourth year of logging major minutes, and it is finally his team. Along with Steven Gray they will form the best backcourt in the WCC and one of the best in the country. Bouldin’s style mixes well with Gray, who is a sharp-shooter and one of the best in the nation. The Zags will dominate the WCC again (14-0 last year), and will be another threat when March rolls around, led by this unique backcourt.

11. Maryland: Greivis Vasquez & Adrian Bowie

Maryland’s backcourt is returning after a great run in the ACC tourney
and a win in the NCAA tourney. Led by Vasquez who was one of the most
exciting players in the country last year. He could lead the ACC in
scoring this year after putting up 17.5 ppg a game last season. Bowie
is a solid player but it’s the depth that coach Gary Williams has that
makes the backcourt impressive. Eric Hayes and Sean Mosley both return
after playing major minutes in the Terrapins backcourt last year.

12. Washington: Isaiah Thomas & Abdul Gaddy

Thomas was one of the best freshman in the country last year,
averaging 15.5 ppg (led team in scoring). With Dentmon’s graduation ,
it clears the way for freshman phenom and McDonald’s All-American Abdul
Gaddy, a true point guard who teammates will love because of his
unselfishness. Washington is young but should be at or near the top of
the conference (along with California) all season.

Who was left off this list? Who deserves to be ranked higher? Discuss below.