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

No. 2 – Georgia Tech

2020 backcourt: Jose Alvarado (Sr.), Michael Devoe (Jr.), Jordan Usher (Jr.), Bubba Parnham (Sr.), Tristan Maxwell (Fr.)

Somehow, someway, Josh Pastner has a strong chance to find himself and the Georgia Tech basketball program in the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21 for the first time since he took over unless he finds a way to pull a Pastner and blow it.

It took several disappointing years in Atlanta but for the first time in a long time, the Yellow Jackets looked prime to make some noise in the ACC behind a dynamic backcourt.

If you haven’t already clicked out of the article after seeing Georgia Tech at number two, I thank you. I may be a lot higher than most on Pastner’s backcourt, but I think after what we saw in the matchup between Tech and Louisville last year I sit in a place where I can make this call.

You probably watched that game and remember what guards Michael DeVoe and Jose Alvarado did to Louisville. After really struggling the first time around with Georgia Tech and barely picking up a victory, the Cards weren’t so fortunate the second time around. Despite splitting the contests. Louisville struggled mightily with the backcourt duo (and Jordan Usher), allowing Devoe and Alvarado to score a combined 63 points in two games while grabbing 21 rebounds and 13 assists. I’m not great at math nor do I really want to spend time in this rabbit hole, but my guess is no duo scored more against Louisville this season.

With both players back this season after a tournament ban and back for their final run together, I really do expect Georgia Tech to be one of the top five teams in the ACC. Behind them there’s plenty of depth as well.

Jordan Usher and Bubba Parnham both proved to be valuable role players last season after transferring in from USC and VMI respectively, with Usher stepping into a starting role throughout the season. Both are more than capable scorers and defenders who can hold their own when in for either Devoe or Alvarado or whether it calls for playing alongside them. The Yellow Jackets will also add freshman Tristan Maxwell to the mix, a more than capable scorer, and could also get USC transfer, Kyle Sturdivant, eligible by an NCAA waiver.

It’s crazy to think of Georgia Tech has a top anything after how bad they’ve been at times the last few seasons, but as I mentioned, we saw up close and personal how good this group can be last season against Louisville. They were dominant in every sense of the word in both games, and I expect that to continue this season.

This is a good time to drop a plug for one of my favorite written pieces of all time by Mike Rutherford; Who Said it? Josh Pastner or Michael Scott.

No. 1 – Virginia

2020 backcourt: Kihei Clark (Jr.), Tomas Woldetensae (Sr.), Casey Morsell (So.), Kody Stattmann (Jr.), Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Fr.)

I heard a lot about how Virginia was supposed to have a down year in 2019-20 following their run to the National Championship the year prior. Instead, Tony Bennett continued to show why he’s one of the best coaches in the nation as all they did was win 23 games and finish tied for second place in the regular-season standings in the ACC.

Bennett did all of that after replacing three NBA players in Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy, and De’Andre Hunter with lesser-known names such as Keihih Clark, Tomas Woldentansae, and Braxton Key, all of whom developed into much more than anyone thought they would.

If anything in 2020 you saw how dangerous Tony Bennett’s system can be at producing players year after year who thrive in a particular role. We saw that with Clark, who blossomed into one of the best all-around guards in the ACC after taking over for Ty Jerome.

Despite his size, Clark was capable of getting Virginia into their offense, taking care of the ball, scoring when needed, and providing solid contributions within the packline defense. Clark struggled early in the year, but as he got his footing and his comfort increased, Virginia excelled.

That should only elevate this season, and as the guy who makes everyone else around him better, Clark is really going to have his choice of scoring options around him.

Once again, Louisville fans got way too familar with sharp-shooter Woldentansae as he hit a career-high nine three’s against the Cards in the teams first matchup, WHICH RESULTED IN A VIRGINIA LOSS (sorry about the cap locks, but I just am too excited to be able to finally say that). There were other games like that one for Virginia and Woldentansae, as the former JUCO player developed into the team’s most dangerous volume shooter from deep, hitting 36 percent of his threes on the season.

He’ll return in 2020-21 and most likely will start alongside Clark, along with the prized recruit of the Cavaliers 2019 class, Casey Morsell. Though he struggled mightily as a freshman, scoring just 4.0 points per game while playing nearly 22 minutes a night, the expectations in year two are much like what Louisville is expecting out of guys like Samuell Williamson and Josh Nickelberry.

Morsell was one of the more talented scorers in his class and while you saw it in flashes last season, especially in the 19 point performance against Arizona State, more times than not he struggled to find confidence and the ability to score. The 18 percent that Morsell shot from downtown will likely be an anomaly more so than a slight against his game as he becomes more comfortable with the speed and flow of college basketball. I fully expect a huge leap in year two under Bennett, as we’ve seen with plenty of other stars at Virginia.

They’ll also be joined by incoming freshmen and one of the top recruits in recent years for Virginia in top 40 ranked recruit, Jabri Abdur-Rahim. As the son of a former NBA star, it shouldn’t take long for Abdur-Rahim to transition to the college level, which is what makes Virginia even more dangerous. There has not been an athlete at the guard position like Abdur-Rahim for Virginia since Malcolm Brogdon, and how Bennett utilizes his scoring and versatility could determine where the Cavaliers finish at season end.

This is a new level of talent for Virginia and with another year of development and injection of high-level recruits, the ceiling for Bennett and company is sky-high. The frontcourt will be one of the top in the ACC with Sam Hauser and Jay Huff (assuming he returns) but this team will be led by veterans who play basketball the right way and understand what it takes to win. You mix that with the dangerous and young talent of Morsell and Abdur-Rahim and you could be talking about a team able to make a run at their second title in three years.