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Around the ACC: Where does Louisville basketball’s backcourt rank?

By Jacob Lane

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of center court prior to the quarterfinals round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The remainder of the tournament will be played with only essential tournament personnel, limited school administrators and student-athlete guests, broadcast television and credentialed media members in attendance due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 12: A general view of center court prior to the quarterfinals round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The remainder of the tournament will be played with only essential tournament personnel, limited school administrators and student-athlete guests, broadcast television and credentialed media members in attendance due to concerns over the possible spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 28: M.J. Walker #23 of the the Florida State Seminoles drives toward Casey Morsell #13 of the the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 28, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – JANUARY 28: M.J. Walker #23 of the the Florida State Seminoles drives toward Casey Morsell #13 of the the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on January 28, 2020 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – Florida State

2020 backcourt: M.J. Walker (Sr.), Scottie Barnes (Fr.), RayQuan Evans (Sr.), Anthony Polite, Nathanael Jack (Sr)

Florida State lost two very important pieces from a team that very easily could have competed for a National Championship in guards Devin Vassell and Trent Forrest. Replacing them will be a tall task, but one that Leonard Hamilton’s duo of five-star guards is going to be more than capable of standing up to.

Crazy enough Hamilton has turned FSU into five-star magnet over the last few seasons landing players like Dwayne Bacon, Jonathan Isaac, and M.J. Walker as well as incoming freshman and the highest-rated recruit in program history, Scottie Barnes. He’ll look to step in right away and become an impact player for the Seminoles with his NBA lottery-type talent. Barnes will easily be the most talented player to play for Hamilton in quite some time (which is saying something) and it shouldn’t take long for FSU to get back to where they were last year.

From leadership and experience to defense, from playmaking to scoring, the Seminoles had everything you could ask for in Vassell and Forrest. While there were other important pieces around them, it was those two who were the heartbeat of Hamilton’s team. Vassell was one of the best two-way guards in America, locking down an opponent’s best offensive player while dropping 20-plus on the offensive side. If there’s anyone who can step into that role, it’s senior MJ Walker.

Louisville fans felt the wrath of Walker in the team’s first meeting last season when he scored 23 points going toe-to-toe with Jordan Nwora and ultimately leading the Seminoles to a huge victory. As a former five-star recruit, Walker has underperformed compared to the expectations, but he’s quietly developed into one of the best wings in the ACC and should prove that this season as he becomes the guy in Tallahassee.

RayQuan Evans will likely be tasked with stepping into the point guard position full-time after playing well in backup minutes in 2020. He’s an experience JUCO player who played well in a backup role last season behind Forrest, and should be more than capable of filling the void as the team’s starter. He’s a big guard who excels defensively and if he’s not being forced to score, he’ll be able to shine in other areas and allow the two former McDonald’s All-American to shine.

Leonard Hamilton continues to raise his level of coaching and I don’t expect that to end next season. He’s got star power, scoring, defense, depth, and experience, which should give the Seminoles everything needed to be a top 15 team and contender in the ACC.

No. 3 – Duke

2020 backcourt: DJ Steward (Fr.), Jeremy Roach (Fr.), Wendell Moore (So.) Jordan Goldwire (Jr.)

In Durham, North Carolina there is no “rebuilding,” instead it’s all about “reloading,” which is exactly what Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils have done ahead of the 2020-21 season.

No team in the ACC will lose more than Duke did last season, outside of maybe Louisville, as Vernon Carey Jr., Cassius Stanley, and Tre Jones are headed off to the NBA while Javian DeLaurier and Jack White have both graduated and Alex O’Connell has transferred.

But in true Duke fashion, they’ll replace those players with potentially even more talent as Coach K brings in a top-three recruiting class headlined by five-star guards DJ Steward (another Louisville target) and Jeremy Roach and wing, Jalen Johnson. They’ll join a rare freshman returnee in Wendell Moore (who is also very much a combo wing) as well as the veteran of the group, Jordan Goldwire.

Based on pure talent alone, there may not be a more talented group than what Coach K has coming into Durham in 2020 and it’s why the Blue Devils are one of a few teams considered capable of winning the league.

Steward and Roach were both All-Americans who should be one and done candidates and are more than capable of leading Duke on a title run. At 6’2 and 6’3, they’ll bring good size to go along with Moore and Goldwire, and should provide versatility as both are capable of playing the one and two.

Can either develop into a steady college basketball point guard who specializes in running the offense like Tre Jones did for Coach K is the biggest question, something I’ll genuinely be curious to see. Roach is a player who fits the mold of a multi-year point guard starter for Duke, and if he can provide the playmaking they need as well as become a lockdown defender, I think they’ll be okay.

Goldwire will be the x-factor being the only player considered an upperclassman. He’s played more and more each season and shown the ability to be a trusted and important role player, but if Roach or Steward isn’t quite ready to contribute at the typical Duke level, he’ll have to step up in a major way.

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