Who Are the Top 5 Point Guards in the Country and What the Hell is Wrong with Duke

Thanks to Dan Dakich we have a new ‘is Joe Flacco elite’ question floating around. This time it’s in college basketball and it’s simply who are the top five point guards in the country.

Dakich created buzz the last couple of weeks when he said Tyler Ulis wasn’t a top five point guard in the country, obviously sending a certain fan base into pandemonium and having this run on social media. Since then Jay Bilas chimed in (last night on Big Monday, calling Monte Morris a top-5 point guard) and Jeff Goodman has listed his top five on Twitter.

Rankings are fun to do, but are completely opinion-based, as is what’s described as a point guard. Do you consider Denzel Valentine a point guard (I don’t) since he’s the main ball handler for Michigan State especially with Tum Tum Nairn missing time? What do you want out of a point guard? Do you want a guy who is a ‘traditional’ point guard like John Stockton who sets up his teammates and can score when needed? Do you want a guy like Russell Westbrook who can drop 50 at any giving moment?

So, why not have a little fun here and stir up what I’m sure will piss some people off. Here’s the official Barstool Top 5 point guards in the country. Just missing the cut: Demetrius Jackson, Yogi Ferrell, Fred VanVleet, Cat Barber and Kay Felder.

5. Nic Moore – SMU, 15.3 PPG, 5.1 APG, 19.7 PER

Nic Moore is the often forgot about great point guard in the country. He’s the reigning AAC Player of the Year and will likely win it again this year as he’s putting up slightly better numbers from a year ago. If Moore was more consistent shooting the ball, he’d be higher on this list, but the 42 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep can hurt him. Despite being listed at just 5’9” he’s averaging over two rebounds a game and is the main reason SMU only has one loss this season.

4. Tyler Ulis – Kentucky, 15.3 PPG, 6 APG, 21.2 PER

The main person to cause this debate checks in at number four. Heading into this season it was clear that the Kentucky team would revolve around Tyler Ulis. He hasn’t disappointed as he’s in the middle of an incredible stretch of games. In the last eight games he has recorded 20 points and 5 assists six times. Just for comparison, John Wall didn’t do that and the only other people in Kentucky history to record six games like that is Ramel Bradley and Keith Bogans. His shooting has struggled this year, keeping him from the No. 3 spot, but he’s the clear leader on the floor for Kentucky and taking care of the ball with a 3:1 assist to TO ratio.

3. Monte Morris – Iowa State, 15.5 PPG, 7 APG, 23.7 PER

I love Monte Morris’s game more than anything in the world. He’s developed into a guy who you have to respect scoring while also setting up his teammates and having nearly a 7:1 assist to TO ratio. He simply doesn’t turn the ball over and if you watched his game against Kansas last night you saw how he can take the game over as well. I was wrong yesterday in saying he’s the clear No. 2 option for Iowa State. I would say down the stretch I would want him to create over Georges Niang. He’s the difference for Iowa State this year upping his scoring by about four points a game and looking to shoot more. He has one of the quickest first steps in the game and can beat almost anyone off the dribble thanks to some crazy handles.

2. Melo Trimble – Maryland, 14.5 PPG, 5.6 APG, 22.8 PER

Melo isn’t actually having a great of a season as many thought he would. Yes, he’s still a dominant player and an All-American candidate but his numbers are slightly down from a year ago. He’s still on the shortlist of guys I want taking the last shot as we saw against Wisconsin and will kill you at the free throw line. His biggest improvement this season? Setting up his teammates. He’s upped his assists from 3 APG to 5.6 APG, which is likely due to the better supporting cast this season. He still needs to work on taking care of the ball as he can be turnover prone, especially in losses.

1. Kris Dunn – Providence, 17.0 PPG, 7.1 APG, 27.3 PER

Dunn is a clear No. 1 this year as he’s taking a gigantic step in helping his NBA stock. He’s a walking triple-double threat as he’s also averaging over six rebounds per game and is a helluva defender as well. He’s been able to provide more scoring thanks to an improved jumper, shooting 39 percent from behind the arc, just a year after he didn’t even average a make a game. He does still have major turnover problems, averaging 3.6 a game, although it’s down from 4.2 last year. However, he’s so good that you live with those mistakes and also factor in he has a 29 percent usage rate.

What the Hell is Wrong with Duke?

Speaking of point guards, this is a huge problem for Duke (as I said in the preseason, nbd). Derryck Thornton is simply not ready to be a point guard at the collegiate level, considering he should still be a senior in high school. There’s a lack of ability in getting teammates open shots, which also forces Matt Jones to play more on ball. Duke, which surely can’t be ranked after another loss last night, is completely struggling and while Amile Jefferson is hurt, that’s not the main problem. Duke’s defense is down right putrid. KenPom currently has Duke’s AdjD ranked 149^th in the country, which makes last year’s regular season defense look like the mid-2000’s Pistons. Even when Jefferson comes back, there needs be a massive improvement from the point guard position.

ICYMI: I sat down with former Oklahoma walk-on James Fraschilla – the son of Fran and famous for his air guitar celebration. He gave some great insight into this year’s Oklahoma team, life as a D1 player and growing up in college basketball. Check it out here: