Big 12 basketball: Ranking backcourts in the conference

Jan 14, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats guard Marcus Foster (2) puts up a shot against Texas Tech Red Raiders forward Zach Smith (11) during the Wildcats

4. Oklahoma

The Sooners are still going strong under Lon Kruger this year and while they are definitely dependent on the big men, their guards are no slouches.

Buddy Hield is option no. 1 in Norman. He is currently averages 17.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg. Isaiah Cousins is the other guard threat, with 12.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg this season as well as a 44 percent 3-point clip.

Oklahoma’s big issue is they average only 12.8 assists per game and only Woodard breaks the 2.0 apg mark, so a lot of OU’s success comes from isolation and individual play rather than sharing.

3. Kansas State

KSU’s position on this list is due entirely to potential, as the guard crew has helped the team radically underperform this season.

Marcus Foster is the clear best guard on the team, with averages of 13.8 ppg and 2.2 apg, which are way under where he was projected to be given his offseason hype. He is joined by Justin Edwards, Jevon Thomas, and Nigel Johnson. Those three only combine for 16 ppg so there isn’t much there, but all save Edwards is a sophomore so growth will come.

Kansas State’s guard group has a lot of room to develop, so I’m hardly worried about them in future.

Next: Guess who's at the top?