Ranking the top 10 backcourts in college basketball: Alabama, Kentucky, Florida have top guards
Florida in 2025. UConn in both 2024 and 2023. Kansas in 2022. Baylor in 2021.
Each men's college basketball champion the last five years — and for much of the last two decades, really — has one commonality: a heavy reliance on top-of-the-line backcourt talent.
That is no coincidence. It is an instructive throughline of roster construction that should serve as a predictive point for future events.
Using that intel, I dug into the rosters of some of the top teams in 2025-26 and ranked the top 10 backcourts in the sport. The results are below.
Obvious caveat: these rankings are not how I rank the teams, merely the backcourt of the roster. This is strictly a talent-based ranking that does not account for roster construction on the whole. And in the interest of transparency, it only partially accounts for the coaching and the way in which I expect their respective staffs to deploy them.
Let's dive in.
1. Alabama Crimson TideBackcourt prediction: PG Labaron Philon, SG Aden Holloway, SG/SF Latrell Wrightsell Jr.
Last season, Alabama won 28 games and had the No. 4 offense in adjusted efficiency rating at KenPom.com while finishing first in adjusted tempo. That high-octane attack was led by then-freshman Philon and then-sophomore Holloway.
Now both Philon and Holloway are back in 2025-26.
Mark Sears is gone from the equation, yes, but Philon and Holloway fit neatly in Nate Oats' system and understand how to facilitate one of college basketball's most innovative offenses — Philon being a blur-of-energy with his burst and Holloway, a 96th percentile jump shooter last season per Synergy data, operating as a combo killer alongside him.
There will be and should be questions about how Philon and Holloway defend teams, but that concern will prove to be overblown hogwash when the Tide jam past teams with one of the most efficient offensive attacks in the sport.
2. Houston CougarsBackcourt prediction: PG Milos Uzan, SG Isiah Harwell, SG/SF Emanuel Sharp
Even after losing LJ Cryer and Mylik Wilson, Houston is again flush with talent thanks to the return of backcourt stars Uzan and Sharp. Uzan, who started all 40 games for Houston last season and led the team in assists, has Big 12 Player of the Year potential. He ranked 11th nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 2.98 and is in line to inherit the keys to the kingdom.
Sharp, meanwhile, a two-year starter for the Cougars, is Mr. Reliable as a sharpshooter. Word out of Houston is that he's had a great offseason.
Both Uzan and Sharp were key pieces on a team that last season rated in the 99th percentile in transition offense. That will again be this team's bread and butter. Freshmen Kingston Flemings and Harwell, a probing playmaker and a lengthy guard/wing hybrid, should also be impact additions early here in H-Town.
3. Kentucky WildcatsBackcourt prediction: PG Jaland Lowe, PG/SG Denzel Aberdeen, SG/SF Otega Oweh
Second-year coach Mark Pope has a foundational backcourt led by returning senior Oweh and buttressed by Pitt transfer guard Lowe. Oweh was an All-SEC performer last season with the Wildcats and a top-60 NBA Draft prospect in my rankings before returning to school. He's the second-leading returning scorer in the SEC this season.
Lowe, meanwhile, was quietly effective last season as a do-it-all combo guard with the Panthers, averaging 16.8 points and 5.5 assists.
Together, alongside incoming guard Jasper Johnson and Florida transfer Aberdeen, this bunch can bring UK back to the mountaintop in the SEC. It's not my prediction — but it should surprise no one if it happens.
4. Purdue BoilermakersBackcourt prediction: PG Braden Smith, SG Fletcher Loyer, SG/SF C.J. Cox
Any team that has a talent the caliber of Smith gets an obvious boost. So Purdue comes in at a confident No. 4 for me.
Smith will be a potential preseason Player of the Year frontrunner for a Purdue team that could open the season preseason No. 1. He's that good; few were as efficient on catch-and-shoot chances last season as him (94th percentile, per Synergy), and few were as crucial to their team's success overall because of his dynamism as a playmaker, scorer and charisma.
His supporting cast is stellar in the backcourt, too, tied to long-time running mate Loyer. Loyer was a 99th percentile finisher on catch-and-shoot opportunities last season and was a 96th percentile finisher on jump shots. Purdue trusts him to take and make big shots and he often delivers.
There's also rising sophomores Gicarri Harris and Cox, both of whom the Boilermakers have high hopes for this season, to keep a watchful eye on here in this backcourt.
5. Florida GatorsBackcourt prediction: CG Boogie Fland, CG Xaivian Lee, SG AJ Brown
A team that lost Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard and Alijah Martin from its backcourt is top 10 in this list?
Yes. Not a typo.
That's what a wagon Florida is right now on the recruiting trail. Coach Todd Golden and his staff snagged Arkansas transfer Fland and Princeton transfer Lee, among others, to rebuild their backcourt via the portal this offseason. That's where the thesis of this No. 5 ranking starts.
Both Fland and Lee are not only sensational talents in their own right — both will play in the NBA — but they also fit the mold of what Florida does well: scoring the ball. Fland was a 97th percentile bucket-getter on catch-and-shoot opportunities in his one season with Arkansas, and Lee has some Clayton Jr. to his game with a 94th percentile placement on dribble jumpers — which Clayton excelled in last season.
My prediction: Florida wins the SEC by multiple games because of the dream fit with Lee and Fland paired next to returners Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. This is a team that knows what it is and what it wants to be, and a staff that has hand-picked players to fit neatly into roles they can scheme to success.
6. Louisville CardinalsBackcourt prediction: PG Mikel Brown Jr., SG Ryan Conwell, SG Isaac McKneely
Many claim Louisville is the rightful throne-holder as Point Guard U. This season may prove those who make that claim to be both vindicated and prescient: because Brown is about to put on a show.
The freshman guard is the biggest reason why the Cards claim top-10 status here, as he's been exceptional on the FIBA circuit and is worthy of being considered a top-two freshman in the sport next season from day one. My friend Adam Finkelstein's scouting report on him from last summer aged beautifully, and this part should stick with you:
There isn't much he can't do with the ball in his hands. He has total control of his handle, as both a creator and distributor, and a terrific left hand. He's a talented passer with excellent floor vision and capable of hitting all corners of the court. He can throw pinpoint crosscourt skip passes with both hands, zip in pocket passes off the dribble, and make all the other associated pick-and-roll reads with good timing. He can rise-up for pull-ups off the dribble and posted 45/40/91 shooting splits in 3SSB action. There are still moments when he can be streaky as a shooter, as he continues to adjust to his evolving body mechanics, but he has a very clean release and projects as a real shot-maker long-term.
Brown also has very good natural pace and appears to possess a real intellect for the game as well, picking up and implementing concepts quickly. We've also seen more consistent two-way engagement as of late, with a matured motor and overall approach.
He'll be surrounded by vets who are highly capable to boot, with Xavier transfer Conwell, Virginia transfer McKneely and Kennesaw transfer Adrian Wooley positioned to reshape this group for the better. I'm buying all the Louisville stock I can get my hands on both in the short term and the long term. This program's trajectory is on a rocket ship to the moon.
7. UCLA BruinsBackcourt prediction: PG Donovan Dent, CG Skyy Clark, SG Jamar Brown
New Mexico transfer Dent won Player of the Year honors in the MWC last season and now headlines a retooled backcourt in Westwood for coach Mick Cronin. Dent has All-American level abilities after averaging 20.4 points. 6.4 assists and shooting 40.9% from 3-point range last season — all career highs — and he's positioned to pop right away alongside returning guard Clark.
Dent goes from a team at New Mexico that was top 10 in adjusted tempo to a UCLA team that under Cronin is notorious for running a slower, methodical system. So I think the fit is a bit curious on paper, keeping UCLA from being in the top five. But Dent's talent and UCLA's proven system of success will win out in the end here to warrant this spot. Cronin will find a way to enmesh his new star nicely by incorporating ways to make sure his new pupil still shines in ways he's comfortable. That's what great coaches do.
8. BYU CougarsBackcourt prediction: PG Rob Wright III, SG Kennard Davis, SG Richie Saunders
BYU grabbed two big-name players this offseason to remake its backcourt under second-year coach Kevin Young: Baylor transfer point guard Wright, and Southern Illinois transfer Davis. That should be a stellar way to reboot around five-star freshman forward AJ Dybantsa and returning sharpshooter Saunders.
Wright III was ninth in assists per game last season among Big 12 players as a true freshman and fifth nationally among all freshmen. Saunders was 12th in 3-point percentage (43.2%) among players in college hoops who made at least 79 3-pointers on the season. And Davis was fourth among all scorers in the MVC last season at 16.3 points per game.
This team finished ninth in adjusted efficiency on offense last season and yet despite losing Egor Demin and several others, it feels like they still improved their weapons on that end of the floor.
9. St. John's Red StormBackcourt prediction: PG Ian Jackson, SG Joson Sanon, SG Oziyah Sellers
A lineup of Jackson (UNC transfer), Sanon (ASU transfer) and Sellers (Stanford transfer) should — should! — give St. John's a capable-enough offense to upgrade from last year's oft-struggling unit. That's what coach Rick Pitino believes, anyway.
Jackson averaged 11.9 points and shot 39.5% on 3-pointers last season. Sanon also averaged 11.9 points and he shot 36.9% on 3-pointers. Sellers shot the best of that bunch at 40.1% on 3-pointers while tallying a career-best 13.7 points per game.
This backcourt is almost certainly going to struggle more on the defensive side than last season's because of how impactful Kadary Richmond was, but this team on the whole still projects to be very good defensively. What this unit can bring on offense will offset any deficiencies. I like how the pieces fit around each other and, most importantly, I believe in how Pitino will deploy them.
10. UConn HuskiesBackcourt prediction: PG Malachi Smith, SG Braylon Mullins, CG Silas Demary Jr.
This ranking is another indicator of the belief I have in the coach and the system the program runs. Dan Hurley will get the most out of this bunch and the talent is upgraded from last season to boot. Demary (Georgia transfer) and Mullins (five-star freshman) are stars in their roles on defense and on offense, respectively, and Smith (Dayton transfer) is a needed presence at point guard who can upgrade their playmaking. Smith was second among all Atlantic 10 players in assists per game (5.3) last season and 44th nationally in assist/turnover ratio.
Those fresh new faces will pair well with returning guard Solo Ball, who for my money can make a run at Big East Player of the Year this season. Ball bounced from 3.3 points in 2023-24 to 14.4 per game last season and shot a scorching 41.4% on 3-pointers. He can play both on and off the ball, but his 84th percentile finish last season on catch-and-shoots suggests he could flourish off it, especially paired with an elite ball-mover at point in Smith and other capable playmakers including Demary.
Honorable mentionsTo leave off teams that will feature Jackson Shelstad (Oregon), Bennett Stirtz (Iowa), John Blackwell (Wisconsin) and Bruce Thornton (Ohio State) from this article would feel like an oversight. They just missed the top 10. (Full disclosure: Iowa State and Mississippi State were next up. I love Tamin Lipsey (ISU) and ditto for Josh Hubbard (MSU). I'm just less optimistic about their supporting cast than others who made this list.)
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