CBS analyst just revealed what everyone’s thinking about Louisville’s backcourt

Louisville basketball's backcourt continues to get more praise as the Cardinals' two transfers, Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely, receive high praise from CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter. The National College Basketball Writer is one of the well-known analysts in college basketball, and the two transfers receiving their praise only prove how dominant this backcourt is going to be.

Trotter went on to rank the top five in every position, as well as some fun categories like best scorer, and the Cardinals had their two star guards crack the analyst top five for the shooting guard position. While it is hard to imagine 5-star commit Mikel Brown Jr. not a top five point guard he was snubbed of the ranking.

However, Trotter gave McKneely and Conwell their deserved flowers, ultimatley proving this backcourt is poised to be the best in the nation.

CBS analyst just revealed what everyone’s thinking about Louisville’s backcourt

Brown might not be listed, but the nation knows how good he is. The future top five 2026 NBA Draft pick is poised to be one of the best players in college basketball next season. Trotter adding McKneely and Conwell in his ranking only justifies the Cardinals fans' hype for their roster and specifically their backcourt.

The CBS analyst revealed that he believes the Xavier transfer and the Cardinals' new star guard is the best shooting guard in the nation after his All-Big East season. Trotter putting Conwell at No. 1 proves that no one in the Transfer Portal had more noise around his name and that he is poised to have another breakout season with his fourth college basketball team.

"It's a smidge unfair to label Conwell as just a shooting guard, but his silky-smooth jumper sets up his entire game. Conwell has shot north of 40% from downtown in back-to-back seasons for two different coaching staffs. Now, he heads to Louisville, where he could lead the nation in treys under Pat Kelsey's 3-point-happy blueprint. Conwell makes off-movement 3-pointers in his sleep, but he's also become excellent at attacking long closeouts, playing off two feet and either finishing at the rim or drawing a foul. His tight crossover dribble gets defenders shaking in the wind, too. He's a complete monster heading to an offensive bonanza. He's going to be awesome at Louisville."
Isaac Trotter

As Trotter was stating, Conwell is the perfect fit for Louisville's offense. The Xavier transfer is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and can drive to the rim and finish at the cup, or splash 3-pointers while being heavily contested. He has connected on 208 3-pointers over the last two seasons while shooting above 40 percent, and now will play in a fast-paced offense that loves to shoot 3-pointers. On top of that, he will play next to 5-star point guard Mikel Brown Jr. and two other elite guards.

However, Trotter's praise for the Cardinals' offense didn't just stop at Conwell. No, he also praised McKneely as the 4-star transfer from Virginia ranks as the No. 5 best shooting guard in the nation.

"We have a three-year sample size of McKneely establishing himself as one of the premier shooters in the country. He's a career 42% sniper. That's, uh, different. Louisville's breakneck tempo might provide a little whiplash from plodding UVa, but once he recovers from that, McKneely is going to get back to doing what he does best: bang treys. Transition 3-pointers is one of the highest-value shots in college basketball right now. McKneely only shot six (!) of them last year for Virginia. Kelsey is going to have McKneely hucking in transition all year. A second-straight year of 100+ 3-pointers at a 40% clip is firmly in play, even for loaded Louisville."
Isaac Trotter

McKneely is coming off his best season as he splashed 101 3-pointers on 42.1 percent shooting from downtown. The shooting guard can take over and blow teams out with his shooting skills. The Cardinals' backcourt is one of, if not the best, in the nation, and it is because of how big a threat they are from downtown.

McKneely is poised to be an opponent's nightmare as he plays next to Brown and Conwell. With Brown and Conwell getting a lot of the attention when they have the ball, McKneely is primed to be open for knockdown jumpers. He should have an even better year this season than last year.

Trotter didn't even rank Brown or Adrian Wooley. This backcourt is absolutely lethal—the depth, the skills, the potential. While teams like Houston, Purdue, and Arkansas are getting hype for their backcourt, Trotter just proved that Louisville's backcourt has the most skill and hype as the 2025 season inches closer.

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason, stay tuned.