Photo Credit: Craven Whitlow
Smash That “Follow” Button
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.
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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.
Vanderbilt’s had an unbelievable start to the college season and arguably having the most exciting offense in the nation.
A big part to their 9-0 start has been the breakout of Tyler Tanner who’s placing himself as one of the best guards in the nation
Tanner is averaging… pic.twitter.com/63zpd66ZIo
— Arman Jovic (@PDTScouting) December 4, 2025
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.
Of course, simple counting stats don’t often tell the whole story. To add some seasoning, we factored in some catch-all advanced stats. True shooting percentage weights the differing values of two-point, three-point and free throw attempts to better measure scoring. Player efficiency rating (PER) measures a player’s all-around performance, adjusted to a league-average value of 15.00. Win shares measure a player’s contribution to their team’s success.
Alright, now it’s time to shut the encyclopaedia and crunch some numbers.
Numbers Never Lie…
Without further ado, here’s how these eight backcourts rank when it comes to PER and win shares. For the sake of consistency, the top two guards from each team were used. That excludes players like Richmond and McKneely.
Team – Combined PERTeam – Combined Win SharesVanderbilt – 55.2Vanderbilt – 3.6BYU – 49.8T-2) Houston – 3.2Houston – 47.5T-2) BYU – 3.2Alabama – 46.84) Louisville – 2.9Louisville – 45.85) Purdue – 2.7USC – 43.76) USC – 2.4Arkansas – 41.07) Arkansas – 2.3Purdue – 39.58) Alabama – 2.0
The difference-maker in these advanced metrics is often defensive production, a less common strength for guards. That’s what pushes Vanderbilt, BYU and Houston towards the top while high-octane Alabama guard duo has the fewest win shares.
These numbers obviously put a damper on Arkansas’ claim of having the nation’s best backcourt. But these stats deserve a bit more scrutiny, particularly given the sample size is less than 10 games for all these teams.
…But They Do Need Context
Strength of schedule matters a lot, not just for Selection Sunday but also for statistical production. Players are obviously going to put up better production against weaker teams, which certainly helps Arkansas’ case when you consider the level of competition the Hogs have already faced. Here are the aforementioned eight teams’ strengths of schedule and their three toughest opponents thus far, according to KenPom.
Team (Non-Conference Strength of Schedule) – Opponent (KenPom ranking)
Alabama (2nd) – Purdue (2nd), Gonzaga (5th) and Illinois (17th)
BYU (26th) – UConn (6th), Wisconsin (27th) and Miami (38th)
Purdue (63rd) – Alabama (14th), Texas Tech (31st) and Akron (54th)
Houston (74th) – Tennessee (16th), Auburn (20th) and Syracuse (63rd)
Arkansas (106th) – Duke (3rd), Michigan State (10th) and Louisville (13th)
Vanderbilt (136th) – Saint Mary’s (34th), VCU (41st) and SMU (42nd)
USC (143rd) – Boise State (60th), Seton Hall (65th) and Arizona State (83rd)
Louisville (278th) – Kentucky (15th), Arkansas (30th) and Cincinnati (72nd)
Not only is Arkansas the only team to have faced three top-15 teams already, only Alabama has even had to face two of them.
The youth of Arkansas’ backcourt is another vital piece of context. Of the eight teams mentioned, only the Razorbacks boast two freshmen as their top guards. Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Houston’s Kingston Flemings are the only other diaper dandies, and they each have a senior partner alongside them.
All things considered, it’s remarkable for Arkansas to have one of the nation’s elite backcourts this early in the season with two freshmen steering the wheel. Richmond and DJ Wagner provide energy and a steadying veteran presence, with the former being a potential first-round pick in his own right, but it’s the two five-star freshmen running the show.
Thomas is one of just three freshmen since the 2010-2011 season to play 70% or more minutes, have an assist rate of 20% or higher and a turnover rate of less than 10%. On the other hand, Acuff is one of just five freshmen in that same span to play 75% or more minutes, have an assist rate higher than 25% and a turnover rate of less than 15%.
Given their youth, the trajectory for growth over the course of the season is close to exponential for Acuff and Thomas. The same can’t be said for the veteran backcourts elsewhere.
It’s easy to see Arkansas having a clear-cut case for the nation’s best backcourt once the heat of conference play comes around. The next step on that path lies against Fresno State on Saturday afternoon.
Scouting Fresno State
Arkansas should be well-prepared to take on 5-3 Fresno State — which is exactly what could make this game dangerous. The Bulldogs have only faced one team in the NET top 100, a five-point loss to UC-San Diego, and they lost their only game away from home thus far to Pepperdine (No. 228 in NET).
Through nine games, Fresno State is averaging only 77.3 points per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 31.5% from distance. This is not nearly the same level of threat that Arkansas has already become accustomed to playing against, but as Samford and Winthrop both proved: a confident mid-major opponent can become a problem in a hurry.
The Bulldogs lean heavily on guard play to drive their offense, and that starts with Clemson transfer Jake Heidbreder. The 6-foot-5 senior is pouring in a team-high 20.0 points per game, carrying a quarter of Fresno State’s total offensive output. Expect a heavy dosage of Billy Richmond on Heidbreder. Junior guard Zaon Collins is averaging 14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and a team-best 5.7 assists, giving the Bulldogs a true initiator outside of Heidbreder who can create for both himself and others.
On the interior, Fresno State features a true 7-footer in Wilson Jacques. The French prospect leads the team in rebounding at 6.3 boards per game and offers some rim protection despite limited offensive usage. DeShawn Gory (10.0 PPG) adds another versatile, athletic frontcourt option at 6-foot-6.
The Bulldogs average 8.6 offensive rebounds while allowing its opponents to grab nearly 10 per game. Despite also having a negative offensive rebound margin, the Hogs did a fantastic job outrebounding Louisville by 10 the last time out.
Predicting Arkansas vs Fresno State
Fresno State’s formula is clear: if Heidbreder and Collins are cooking in the backcourt and the Bulldogs find a way to compete on the glass, they can hang around — especially with a team still riding the emotional high of a huge home win.
Regardless, Arkansas should be able to entirely control this game from the opening tip. There are few backcourts in the country that can hang with Arkansas’, and Fresno State’s is certainly not one of them.
Even if the Hogs have to rest a couple banged-up players like Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox, Arkansas will come out on top relatively easily.
Arkansas wins, 89-68.
How to Watch Arkansas vs Fresno State
Date: Saturday, Dec. 6
Location: Simmons Bank Arena (North Little Rock, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV: 3 p.m. CT (SECN+)
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Full table breaking down Arkansas’ backcourt production compared to the rest of the nation’s best:
SchoolPlayerCounting Stats (per game)True Shooting PercentagePlayer Efficiency RatingWin SharesArkansasDarius Acuff Jr. (Fr.)17.4 ppg, 5.1 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 stocks55.5%18.21.0Meleek Thomas (Fr.)17.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 4.6 rpg, 1.5 stocks55.3%22.81.3PurdueBraden Smith (Sr.)13.4 ppg, 8.9 apg, 3.5 rpg, 1.0 stocks51.1%19.41.4Foster Loyer (Sr.)15.6 ppg, 1.5 apg, 2.4 rpg, 0.9 stocks69.2%20.11.3LouisvilleRyan Conwell (Sr.)19.5 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.9 rpg, 1.3 stocks63.5%25.11.6Mikel Brown Jr. (Fr.)17.6 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 stocks55.7%20.71.3HoustonEmanuel Sharp (Sr.)16.4 ppg, 2.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 stocks56.4%21.91.5Kingston Flemings (Fr.)15.3 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.7 stocks68.6%25.61.7AlabamaLabaron Philon (So.)21.6 ppg, 5.4 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 stocks64.3%25.41.1Aden Holloway (Jr.)18.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.8 rpg, 0.5 stocks63.2%21.40.9VanderbiltDuke Miles (Sr.)17.8 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 stocks67.1%27.41.9Tyler Tanner (So.)16.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.6 rpg, 3.0 stocks71.1%27.81.7BYURichie Saunders (Sr.)18.9 ppg, 2.3 apg, 5.8 rpg, 2.4 stocks65%27.71.8Rob Wright III (So.)16.9 ppg, 6.3 apg, 4.0 rpg, 1.6 stocks57.7%22.11.4USCChad Baker-Mazara (Sr.)20.9 ppg, 2.4 apg, 5.3 rpg, 2.3 stocks61.5%22.71.4Rodney Rice (Jr.)20.3 ppg, 6.0 apg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 stocks53.7%21.01.0
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Michael Main is a Fayetteville native who, like both of his older brothers, attended the University of Arkansas. Main graduated in 2025 with a double major in journalism and political science and a minor in legal studies. He spent his childhood following the Razorbacks closely and attending as many games as possible, witnessing iconic moments like the Michael Qualls put-back dunk, the Henry Heave and a number of field stormings. Main was a member of the Razorback Marching Band and Hogwild Pep Band, attending every home football and basketball game while he was a student and traveling to San Francisco, Providence, Tampa and elsewhere for postseason play. After freelancing for BoAS for a year and a half, the 22-year-old made the transition to a full-time role as senior writer following his graduation. In his free time, Main is likely spending time outdoors, enjoying the company of friends or feeding his obsession with Liverpool FC and European football as a whole.
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