Heading into a Saturday afternoon matchup with Fresno State, Arkansas basketball is still riding the high from its triumphant home win over No. 6 Louisville in the midweek.
After losing nail-biters to Michigan State and Duke, the Razorbacks finally put it all together with a convincing win over the Cardinals in which they never trailed.
Prior to Wednesday’s contest, CBS hoops guru Jon Rothstein dubbed it a matchup between the nation’s best backcourt (Louisville) and the nation’s most electrifying backcourt (Arkansas). Yet it was the Hogs’ guards who got the better of the Cardinals’ backcourt.
Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. each scored 17 points, with the latter dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Billy Richmond III added 10 points, 4 rebounds and his usual injection of relentless defense. Louisville’s sharpshooting trio of Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, meanwhile, combined to shoot a paltry 6 of 27 from behind the arc. Brown only dished out 3 assists, and Conwell had more turnovers (5) than dimes (4).
Given that Arkansas just outplayed the supposed best backcourt in the country, a worthwhile question emerges: do the Razorbacks have the best guards in the nation?
Introducing the Contenders
Best of Arkansas Sports narrowed things down to eight elite backcourts, including Arkansas and Louisville, with a legitimate argument for being the best in the nation.
Purdue, the current No. 1 team in the land, has an elite floor general in Braden Smith and a veteran sharpshooter in Fletcher Loyer, who scores a team-leading 15.6 points per game. Smith is second in the nation with 8.9 assists per game.
Houston, who Arkansas will face later this month, boasts a deadly combination of youth and experience. Freshman Kingston Flemings is averaging 15.3 points and 5.0 assists, and senior Emanuel Sharp is one of the best shooters in the country after returning from last year’s national runner-up squad. As is typical with a Kelvin Sampson squad, both guards play great defense.
Alabama sophomore Labaron Philon Jr. is 11th nationally in scoring (21.6 points per game) while still averaging 5.4 assists. Auburn turncoat Aden Holloway is putting up 18.2 points and 4.3 assists per game in his own right.
BYU is all about projected No. 1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, a dominant combo forward, but the Cougars boast an elite backcourt this year, as well. Point guard Rob Wright III is dishing out 6.3 assists per game, and sharpshooting senior Richie Saunders is pouring in 18.9 points per game.
Vanderbilt…surprise! The Commodores’ tandem of Duke Miles and Tyler Tanner have both put up eye-popping offensive numbers to fuel Vandy’s undefeated start, but their defensive prowess can’t be overlooked, either. The two tenacious guards total 5.5 stocks (steals and blocks combined) per game.
USC is last but certainly not least, with Eric Musselman’s second-year squad cracking the list. Super senior Chad Baker-Mazara and Maryland transfer Rodney Rice are both scoring north of 20 points per game, with the latter averaging 6.0 assists to boot. It’s no wonder why the Trojans ran away with first place at this year’s Maui Invitational.
