Bleacher Report - Articles by Pete McMullen

Ranking College Basketball's Five Best Backcourts

Pete McMullen — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:00:17 -0400

The backcourt has been critical for recent NCAA champions, and this year should be no different. Last year, North Carolina seemed to be the odds-on favorite from the very beginning, but this season will be a two-horse race between Kansas and Kentucky.

Both schools have a great group of guards that will carry them in March with both scoring and playmaking.

When the Tar Heels cut down the nets last April, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington headed the backcourt. Not surprisingly, both were drafted in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft.

The year before, Bill Self's Jayhawks won it all, defeating the Memphis Tigers. Between those two schools, there were three draft picks among the guards: Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Mario Chalmers.

It is safe to say that, without at least one great guard, your team is doomed to fail in March. Granted, a team with no inside presence won't fare so well either, but a talented backcourt is vital.

No. 5: North Carolina Tar Heels (Last Season Result: National Champions)

Most people will wonder how a team that appears to have lost everybody gets a mention as having a top backcourt the year after. However, no other team recruits elite talent as consistently as North Carolina.

The starting point guard will most likely be Larry Drew II, a sophomore who spent a year under Lawson learning how to run the offense and direct the team.

Before coming to Chapel Hill, Drew was ranked as the No. 3 point guard in his class behind only Brandon Jennings and Kemba Walker.

Also returning for the Heels will be Marcus Ginyard, the glue guy that was supposed to help them win a championship last season but suffered a foot injury and only played in three games. His defense and experience alone will make North Carolina's backcourt much better.

Finally, the Tar Heels are bringing in two great recruits in Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald. Both should be able to contribute right away and will greatly add to the depth of the backcourt. I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if North Carolina makes yet another run in March.

No. 4: UConn Huskies (Last Season Result: Final Four)

A.J. Price is gone, but Kemba Walker is more than ready to step in and take his place. Even better news for coach Jim Calhoun is that Jerome Dyson is returning from last year's season-ending knee injury.

Before being injured, Dyson was averaging 13 points, three assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Walker, on the other hand, averaged only nine points and three assists per game but had four games in which he scored more than 20 points.

Darius Smith, a freshman, should also provide a few good minutes per game to spell either Walker or Dyson.

The depth, or lack thereof, of UConn's backcourt is what is keeping them from appearing higher on this list.

The talent of Walker and Dyson could make up for that, provided they both stay healthy. If not, Calhoun's team could have their season ended sooner than expected.

No. 3: Washington Huskies (Last Season Result: Second Round of NCAAs)

Last year proved to be a coming-out party for freshman Isaiah Thomas, who averaged 16 points per game and had seven games with more than 20 points.

Thomas, however, isn't a true point guard. He looks to score much more than he looks to distribute and get his teammates involved.

This year, Thomas will probably play the two-guard at times to make room for Abdul Gaddy, a true point guard and No. 2 at his position in this year's class.

Gaddy will find teammates for open shots while Thomas will remain the primary scoring option for the Huskies. It's a perfect fit for two players that will undoubtedly be playing professionally in a few years.

The problem, similar to UConn, will be depth. Hoping to help with that in particular, C.J. Wilcox, an unheralded recruit from Utah, is a great scorer who can help off the bench for Washington.

There are rumors that Wilcox may decide to redshirt though, which would hurt the Huskies. If he does, coach Lorenzo Romar's team will be in serious trouble if Gaddy or Thomas gets in foul trouble early in big games.

No. 2: Villanova Wildcats (Last Season Result: Final Four)

Villanova was supposed to be a decent team in the Big East with a lot of youth in the backcourt. Of course, that was until Scottie Reynolds, last year's East Regional Most Outstanding Player, decided to return to college for his senior season.

Joining Reynolds in the backcourt will be Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher. Combined, they contributed 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists per game last year. Both, however, will be playing larger scoring roles now that Dante Cunningham is gone.

Freshmen Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns, a pair of McDonald's All-Americans, will join Villanova's trio of returning guards, making them arguably the deepest backcourt in the country.

Coach Jay Wright has a history of playing three guards at a time in the lineup. This year should be no different.

Villanova has some solid talent in the frontcourt, but the strength is clearly within their guards. Another Elite Eight or Final Four isn't out of the question for this team.

No. 1: Kansas Jayhawks (Last Season Result: Sweet 16)

Sherron Collins was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team last year and is a preseason favorite to make the First Team this year.

He is possibly the best playmaking point guard in the country, yet Collins is only the tip of the iceberg when discussing Kansas' backcourt.

Tyshawn Taylor, a shooting guard who has been playing well for Team USA recently, averaged 10 points per game last season and had a breakout game against Oklahoma (26 points on 8-of-13 shooting) near the end of the regular season.

Coming off the bench will be one of the best freshman shooting guards in Xavier Henry and one of the best freshman point guards in Elijah Johnson.

The Jayhawks also return Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed, two guards who contributed to a depleted Jayhawk team last year.

No other backcourt combines talent with depth better than Kansas. This, along with the fact that they are bringing back Cole Aldrich, is why they are my pick to be cutting down the nets in April.

Honorable Mention

Kentucky

The lack of a true shooting guard is what kept them out of the top five. John Wall and Eric Bledsoe are the cream of the crop in the Class of 2009 for point guards, but that's not enough. If Jodie Meeks had returned, however, they would have certainly had a top three backcourt.

Cincinnati

The combination of two confident scoring guards may lead to a NCAA Tournament run or a disaster. Deonta Vaughn and Lance Stephenson are both very talented, but can either accept being the second option on offense?

Baylor

The departure of Curtis Jerrells hurts, but LaceDarius Dunn is capable of stepping up into that star role for the Bears. Tweety Carter, A.J. Walton, and Nolan Dennis will add depth to the backcourt.

Texas

Top recruit Avery Bradley should be ready to contribute instantly on both ends of the floor. Jai Lucas, a transfer from Florida, will most likely be the point guard in Austin, which isn't bad for a player who was once in the top three at the position in his high school class. Justin Mason will also provide help off the bench.

Mississippi

Even I, truthfully, almost skipped over this team when making considerations for the list, but their backcourt shouldn't be ignored by any means. Chris Warren is back from injury and will join Terrico White to form one of the best scoring guard tandems in the SEC.

Michigan State

Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas is back along with Durrell Summers, but the lack of depth will hurt, especially late in the season. Lucas can't afford to get in foul trouble, or the Spartans are in trouble.

Gonzaga

Demetri Goodson, who proved he can hit the big shot when called upon (see NCAA Tournament game against Western Kentucky), should take over the offense left to him by Jeremy Pargo, and returning players Matt Bouldin and Steven Gray give coach Mark Few a nice rotation.

Special thanks to Jameson Fleming and Leroy Watson for helping with the list.

If you would like to contact this writer, email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com. To read more sports articles, visit InformativeSports.com.

The Top Eight Undersized Point Guards of All Time

Pete McMullen — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:04:57 -0400

The little guy. He's the only one at the playground using his entire arsenal of pump fakes and pivots just to get a shot off. He's the only one looking to pass off to an open teammate when he penetrates the lane among all the big guys. He's the only guy who realizes just how hard a "little guy" needs to work to be successful in the game of basketball. But how does one define undersized, especially for the point guard position? I would classify it as any player under 6'2". That means no Magic, no Oscar, no Kidd, and no Nash. It's time to give respect to the players who, although not gifted with an abundance of height, played the game at a high level while outworking those around them. I attempt to rank these players that, while undersized, had a significant impact on basketball and were a thrill to watch at all times on the court. These are the players that care just as much about getting their teammates involved as they do putting up a good stat line. Some on my list are scorers (that's a given). Some a pure passers. Others are defensive stoppers. One could even be labeled as a pioneer for the game. This is the list that features only one MVP and one Finals MVP but a handful of current or soon-to-be Hall of Famers. Surprisingly enough, only one player on this list cannot be found among the top twenty-five assists leaders of all time. Three of the eight claim a spot in the top fifteen steals leaders of all time as well. Honorable mention for this list includes Lenny Wilkens, Guy Rodgers, Norm Van Lier, Mookie Blaylock, and K.C. Jones.

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No Cinderella, No Problem

Pete McMullen — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:56:57 -0400

The first weekend of the most chaotic and entertaining sporting event in America has come and gone, yet something is missing.

There is only one team with a seed lower than No. 5 still remaining, but they, too, hail from a power conference.

Where is this year's George Mason or Davidson?

Ben Woodside, who put up a ridiculous 37 points on Kansas, had a chance to lead his team to the second weekend, yet North Dakota State's No. 14 proved to be too low to overcome a powerful Jayhawk squad led by Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich.

In fact, only two teams that were in the committee's top sixteen failed to make it to the Sweet 16. It is uncharacteristic for the tournament to produce a second weekend such as this, but the same could be said for last year's Final Four, in which all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the semifinals.

With or without a Cinderella though, March Madness will go on. It will still be a great tournament filled with surprises and disappointments. There is still a reason for fans to watch, even if they can't unify to root for the underdog.

As I did last year, I plan to hand out some awards to recognize those with superb performances in the first two rounds of play. I should mention that it is not a requirement for that player to play in both rounds.

The Stephen Curry Award: This award was renamed after last year's remarkable performance by the now-famous Davidson sharpshooter. Before that, it was named in honor of Petey Sessoms, but I will confess that I did not come up with the idea for this award. The credit goes to a fellow sports writer from FanNation.

The award is given to the relatively-unknown player from a mid-major school who does extremely well when he arrives at the NCAA Tournament. This year, Ben Woodside would have been the obvious pick, but he had already received plenty of recognition for his 60-point outburst earlier this year at the hands of Stephen F. Austin.

Ronald Moore, the Siena guard who delivered not one, but two clutch three-pointers in the overtimes against Ohio State, was another good choice given his 10-assist, four-steal performance against Louisville in the second round.

However, it was hard to justify not giving it to the man with averages of 18 points, five rebounds, and six and one-half assists. He led his team to a comeback in a variety of ways. The 2009 Curry Award goes to Orlando Mendez-Valdez of Western Kentucky.

The Best Individual Battle: Only one pair of players really stood out in my mind as candidates for this particular award. These two players highlighted a first-round game that was truly a David/Goliath matchup in every sense of the term.

North Dakota State, a team completely new to Division-I, made it to the tournament this year behind a captivating scorer that finished in the top 10 nationally in points per game. The committee matched them up in the first round against Kansas, the defending national champs. They, too, had an exceptional scorer at the point guard position, Sherron Collins.

These two traded baskets and made play after play for their team to have a chance at victory.

The result?

Woodside finished with 37 points in a loss while Collins put up 32 points to go along with eight assists. Even better was being able to watch it.

The Most Shocking Upset: As I mentioned earlier, this year's first weekend truly lacked the magnitude of upsets seen in previous tournaments, so I am left with one choice— Cleveland State over Wake Forest.

Sadly, it wasn't even considered a huge upset to those that actually follow the college game all year long. Cleveland State had already upset Syracuse at the Carrier Dome earlier this year and were led by a group of experienced upperclassmen.

The Demon Deacons, on the other hand, were a very young and inexperienced team that floundered as the year went on.

Even though the upset itself wasn't drop-dead shocking, the way Cleveland State completely manhandled Wake Forest from start to finish was indeed drop-dead shocking. I doubt that anyone expected that type of a game.

The Favorite: The team chosen from the very beginning remains as the top choice to cut down the nets in Detroit. North Carolina received 21 second-half points from Ty Lawson, a player that didn't even play in the first round or the ACC Tournament, to survive the scare put forth by LSU.

Tyler Hansbrough, officially college basketball's most hated person behind only the entire Binghamton Bearcats team, came back to Chapel Hill for one reason: To win a National Championship. With the return of Lawson, his reason for returning should become reality.

North Carolina has really given a team effort with many guys contributing to their success in the first weekend. There are, conversely, players that received notoriety for their individual efforts, and they should be mentioned, too.

First Team

Byron Eaton, Oklahoma State—His averages of 18 points, nine assists, and three steals per tournament game look even better after you reflect upon the game-winner he hit in the first round to defeat Tennessee.

Sherron Collins, Kansas—29 points, six rebounds, and five assists per game provide just an inkling of what the only Tournament-experienced Jayhawk offers to his Sweet Sixteen team.

Sam Young, Pitt—After a double-double in the first round, Young added to his impressive resume with a 32 and eight showing against Oklahoma State. Without him, we could have been dealing with a No. 16 seed in the second round.

Blake Griffin, Oklahoma— In two games, the sophomore superstar from Oklahoma poured in 61 points and snatched 30 rebounds. This pick was a no-brainer.

Cole Aldrich, Kansas— He is the only player in this year's tournament who topped a double-double with a triple-double in the next game, which he accomplished when he scored 13 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, and rejected 10 shots in a win over Dayton.

Second Team
Ben Woodside, North Dakota State
A.J. Price, UConn
Roburt Sallie, Memphis
Dante Cunningham, Villanova
Rick Jackson, Syracuse

Honorable Mention: Lazar Hayward, Marquette; Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Western Kentucky; A.J. Slaughter, Western Kentucky; Terrence Williams, Louisville; Nic Wise, Arizona.

The clock struck midnight a long time ago for the mid-majors. But that is not a reason to simply ignore the tournament when it resumes play on Thursday. Now is the time when the great teams separate themselves from the good teams and punch their tickets to Motown. It's just a shame that such an excellent basketball tournament will play its final games in a football stadium.

Final Four Picks: UConn, Villanova, North Carolina, Kansas. Nevertheless, there is still the lingering possibility of a repetition of 2008 with the top seeds.

To contact this writer, you can email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com. If you would like to read more sports articles, visit Informative Sports.