August 8, 2009

Rivals.com
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff

At the College Basketball Roundtable each week, we ask each member of the college basketball coverage staff for his opinion about a topic in the sport. We have two questions this week ? one today and one Sunday.

TODAY'S QUESTION: Florida and Duke made news this week with the unexpected arrival of guards who could contribute immediately. Which team's backcourt do you think is most suspect and why?

Who thought we would be having this conversation three years ago? The guard situation for both teams is ugly. Ugly is probably too nice ? potentially devastating is more accurate. I'm going to go with Florida. Duke has struggled at point guard for a few years, but the Blue Devils still manage to contend in the ACC and go to the NCAA tournament. Bringing Andre Dawkins in a year early isn't ideal, but at least he is a five-star prospect. Florida, on the other hand, had an excellent point guard in Nick Calathes and still landed in the NIT last season. Now, the Gators have 5-foot-8 Erving Walker and 17-year-old Israeli guard Nimrod Tishman. What if Walker turns out to be Tajuan Porter, who was a great sidekick for Oregon's Aaron Brooks as a freshman before becoming a questionable starting point guard on an eight-win team? What if Tishman turns out to be Christian Drejer, the last overseas prospect Billy Donovan signed? Drejer never lived up to the hype and ditched the college game midway through his second season to sign a pro contract in Europe. Those scenarios could spell disaster for Florida.

- DAVID FOX

If I'm Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, I'm extremely worried about my backcourt, even with Andre Dawkins coming in a year early. Dawkins' arrival gives him three scholarship guards on his roster - total. Starters Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith better be prepared to play 32-plus minutes per game this season. Duke's starters are better than Florida's, but the Gators have more depth in the backcourt. Florida's situation is worrisome, but not as worrisome as Duke's. Frankly, it's hard to imagine how a program like Duke let itself get in this situation.

- MIKE HUGUENIN

Some media outlets have Duke ranked in their preseason top 10, but I just don't see it. The early departure of standout guard Gerald Henderson to the NBA draft and the transfer of Elliot Williams to Memphis has created a huge problem for an already mediocre Blue Devils backcourt, where Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are the only guards returning with any significant experience. Both are solid players. Scheyer, who will be a senior, averaged 14.9 points last season; Smith, a junior, chipped in with 8.4 in just 21 minutes a game. Still, with no depth, Duke could be in trouble. A lack of athleticism on the perimeter already has caused Duke to fall behind North Carolina in the battle for ACC supremacy. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams favors a high-scoring, up-tempo style. Duke simply can't keep up. A good recruiting class and the addition of Liberty transfer Seth Curry could help the Blue Devils' backcourt a year from now. In the meantime, though, things could be tough in Durham.

- JASON KING

I'd say Florida's is the most suspect. I'd argue that Duke's Nolan Smith and Florida's Erving Walker are comparable players, so I guess this comes down to whether you want to go with Duke senior Jon Scheyer's experience or Florida freshman Kenny Boynton's upside. I have to side with Scheyer in this argument based on the way he closed last season. After moving to point guard late in the year, Scheyer played as well as he has in his entire career. He was even named the ACC tournament MVP after averaging 21.7 points in the Blue Devils' three victories. Scheyer's ability to play either guard position offers Duke some flexibility. Junior forward Kyle Singler's shooting and ballhandling ability also could allow him to become more of a perimeter player to help Duke overcome its lack of depth in the backcourt. Boynton is a five-star prospect who could develop into a better player than anyone currently in Duke's backcourt, but the Gators are relying heavily on an untested freshman while Duke's best guard is a senior who has played significant minutes throughout his college career.

- STEVE MEGARGEE