In the final part of my 4-part preview on the upcoming college basketball season, I look at five seniors that could create a buzz for their squads this season.

The most underrated college basketball players are often those that have been around the longest and have experienced the greatest variety of situations on the floor. The senior basketball player receives less and less attention from the national media as fabulous freshmen continue to enter the college basketball landscape and set it ablaze. Since the days of Carmelo Anthony, everybody looks for that one guy that will have the greatest combination of skill, maturity, and star power to take his team to the national championship. But this article examines some seniors that could help take their teams to the highest level in March. Two seniors I will not examine are Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor and North Carolina’s Tyler Zeller, whom I evaluated in my Naismith Award Watch list.

Ashton Gibbs – Guard, Pittsburgh
Jamie Dixon’s Pittsburgh Panthers do not often rely on freshmen, or any underclassmen for that matter, but rather rely on their experienced seniors and juniors to lead them to the top of the Big East. Gibbs enters his senior year having averaged over 16 points per game the last two years, and it is rare to see a Pittsburgh senior (especially a guard) take a step back in his senior year. Gibbs will get a lot of looks this year, especially from beyond the arc, where he hit nearly 50% (!)  a year ago. If he can carry over his hot shooting to 2012, Pitt will be in good shape in a Big East conference that has many talented yet raw guards.

Tyshawn Taylor – Guard, Kansas
Kansas is not getting the usual love from experts this year, and a big part of it is the departure of the Morris twins and oft-troubled guard Josh Selby. With all of them gone, the team’s leadership rests on the shoulders of Taylor, who is the top returning scorer and assist man from a year ago. Between him and Thomas Robinson, Kansas should contend for a Big 12 title in a very down year for the conference. Taylor has started the majority of his four years in Lawrence, but has often been overshadowed by players like Sherron Collins and NBA darling Selby. This is now Taylor’s team, and his performance will largely dictate the success of the Jayhawks.

Robbie Hummel – Forward, Purdue
The high school class of 2007 provided the Big Ten with arguably it’s strongest recruiting class in the last 20 years, and Hummel is the lone remaining player from that year. He had a phenomenal first three years with the Boilermakers, and all signs pointed to them contending for the national championship a year ago. But Hummel’s entire season was lost to knee surgery and he returns this season with a team lacking all-conference performers E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson. The offense will rely more on Hummel and his stellar shooting this season, and he has a great point guard in Lewis Jackson to help facilitate.

Kyle Kuric – Forward, Louisville
On a team with only one other senior, Kyle Kuric has the task of steadying an erratic roster while living up to big expectations. He may not have the star power of Peyton Siva or Jared Swopshire, but he is their most dependable player beyond the arc and was their top scorer overall down the stretch in 2011. A team that fell in a first round shocker to Morehead State in last season’s tournament, Louisville is often considered a raw team that runs a lot of full-court press and quick offensive sets. Kuric will get more looks this year and can slide over to the 2-guard spot, as well. He should see a ton of minutes and will really be given every chance to succeed his senior year.

Festus Ezeli – Center, Vanderbilt
I profiled Ezeli’s teammate, John Jenkins, in an earlier post, and he will be responsible for most of Vandy’s scoring down the stretch in 2012. But Festus Ezeli is the motor and main post presence. Despite already missing the first month of the season due to injury, Ezeli will be needed as soon as possible to shore up a frontcourt that lacks shotblocking and toughness without him. He is primed for a big year, with the Commodores coach Kevin Stallings already saying that Ezeli is going to be a huge part of their success. That comment can be taken several ways, but I see it as Stallings saying that Ezeli will get plenty of looks in the post. If Ezeli can take advantage of the extra opportunities, he will be just as feared as Jenkins.

In Part 2 of my 2011 College Basketball Preview, I examine four mid-major teams that have a great chance at becoming the Butler or VCU of this upcoming season.

Over the past decade, a number of schools have come to define the term “mid-major” in college basketball. Gonzaga is always a threat to play deep into March and had dominated the WCC every year. Butler played in the past two national championship games. And VCU and George Mason have made the CAA a noteworthy conference by making improbable Final Four runs in the past five years. But this season will almost certainly bring rise to at least one mid-major that America is not yet familar with. Here are the teams I think can capture and break hearts in 2012.

Detroit Titans (Horizon)
Butler has always been the class of the Horizon League, but Detroit has a great chance to not only win the conference tournament, but also make a run in the Big Dance. The Titans have arguably the two most talented players in the conference in forward Eli Holman and point guard Ray McCallum Jr. McCallum was the newcomer of the year last season, and Holman averaged nearly a double-double. Don’t forget about senior wing Chase Simon, who averaged 13.5 points per game last season. With such a diverse and talented core, Detroit has all the tools to do damage late in the season.

But the Horizon League is not weak, by any stretch. Butler and Wisconsin-Milwaukee will both be competitive, though they each lost substantial pieces to graduation. The Bulldogs will depend heavily on big man Andrew Smith and wing Ronald Nored, as well as highly-touted freshman Roosevelt Jones. Milwaukee, on the other hand, returns guard Kaylon Willams and forward Tony Meier but, similar to Butler, has many holes to plug.

Wichita State Shockers (Missouri Valley)
The Missouri Valley Conference is barely a mid-major anymore, but if the Shockers advance beyond the second round of the NCAA Tournament, it will be considered a… shock. Great things were expected last season, but Wichita State had to settle for an NIT championship. Every NIT matchup was a blowout, including an uneventful final against Alabama. Big man Garret Stutz will be counted on to patrol the paint for a team that lost a huge chunk of their interior scoring and rebounding. Ben Smith should see an increased role, as well – the 6’5″ forward won the conference’s Sixth Man Award last season. But the team will go as far as guard Toure’ Murry takes them – he has won the past two conference Defensive Player of the Year awards, and is the team’s returning leader in all major statistical categories.

The rest of the Valley is going to be incredibly tough: Creigton, Indiana State, and Northern Iowa will all be fighting for the conference title, but none appear as complete as the Shockers, which have all of the intangibles. Charles Koch Arena yields the greatest home court advantage in the MVC, and the team has a large chip on it’s shoulder after getting snubbed by the NCAA Selection Committee in March. If Wichita State plays anything like they did in the NIT last season, they will be incredibly difficult to beat, especially at home.

UCF Knights (Conference USA)
The average college basketball fan only knows about Central Florida because of the breakout season by Marcus Jordan in 2011. But the team’s strengths go far beyond Air Jordan’s son. In fact, people seem to overlook Keith Clanton, who was an all-conference performer last season. At 6’8″ and almost 250lbs, Clanton is one of the most overlooked big men in the country. He shot 53% from the field last season, and improved over the course of the season. In fact, in the 2011 CBI Semifinal, Clanton was 9-12 from the field and 7-8 from the line in 34 minutes. Look for more of the same this season. Plus, sophomore Isaiah Sykes should provide a solid second scoring threat from the wing – he is super quick and not afraid to shoot the ball. And look out for transfers Tristan Spurlock and Josh Crittle;  both stand 6’8″ and will bang inside with the best of the them.

Conference USA will be a difficult conference to win, however. Memphis is the perennial favorite, and Marshall has emerged as a dark horse contender. But UCF finally has the talent to compete with the Tigers. Three transfers from major schools (Spurlock, Crittle, and Marcus’s brother Jeff) bring a swagger to Orlando that has been missing for years. Even if Memphis runs away with C-USA, UCF will have talent and probably the resume to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where they will be a very dangerous opponent.

Akron Zips (MAC)
Few remember that the Zips actually played in two of the past three NCAA Tournaments. The reason is because of the low seeding and subsequent matchup problems posed by teams like Notre Dame, who won by 13 points in the second round of last season’s tournament. But the six upperclassmen on this Akron roster have been there, done that, and are ready to play deeper into March. Skinny but agile 7-footer Zeke Marshall stands alone in the big man department, but will have a ton of help on the perimeter. Nikola Cvetinovic will need to score and help Marshall on the glass, and freshman Nick Harney is expected to help shoulder the load at forward, as well. In the backcourt, UMBC transfer Chauncey Gilliam joins 5’9″ point guard Alex Abreu and Brett McClanahan as they attempt to dominate a conference that is often dictated by guard play. But Marshall is the X-factor for this team, as he has performed below expectations in his first two years in Akron. If he can show the ability that made him a high-caliber recruit in high school, then Akron will be in the driver seat in the MAC.

Don’t count out the rest of the MAC, however. Western and Central Michigan each return several strong pieces and will give Akron all they can handle. Kent State may be the early conference favorite, having shown well in the NIT last season before losing to Colorado in a tight quarterfinals contest. Yet, it was Akron that played in the Big Dance in March, and they seem to always peak at the right time of the year. With a grueling non-conference schedule ahead of them, the Zips may look lackluster early on, but they should once again surge through the MAC. As long as they don’t find themselves as a #15 seed again, Akron will be extremely competitive in the NCAA Tournament.

Other teams to watch: Long Island Blackbirds (NEC), Harvard Crimson (Ivy League), and Florida Atlantic Owls (Sun Belt)

It was dull, ugly, and overall just a weak ending to what was otherwise a fantastic NCAA tournament. The team that everybody thought would flame out after winning five games in the Big East tournament showed the resilience and hunger that champions must rely on to win.

And for the second year in a row, the Butler Bulldogs fell just short.

The theme that bounced around national sports outlets was Butler’s horrendous shooting, and it is well-deserved; no team is going to win a title by making three baskets inside the arc. 18% shooting? I don’t think anybody has ever won a game shooting that poorly.

But Connecticut deserves a ton of credit – they shut down big man Matt Howard and contained heady point guard Shelvin Mack. The big man combination of Alex Oriakhi and Charles Okwandu wore down and frustrated Howard for 40 minutes, using their superior size and athleticism to completely take him out of the game. Mack, on the other hand, had a decent first half but tired quickly in the second half as he was contained by the quicker UCONN guards. It also didn’t help that he had to chase Kemba Walker and his slew of athletic teammates.

When the game finally ended, I exhaled and realized that this game should have never been in doubt. Where Butler had succeeded in this tournament was where Connecticut had succeeded, too: rebounding and guard play. Against teams like Pittsburgh and Wisconsin, the Bulldogs won with fundamental, versatile big man play; Old Dominion and VCU fell to great play by Mack and his back court teammates. Last night was a different story, though, and every Butler strength was matched and subsequently exploited by the Huskies. On top of that, UCONN had the X-factor that all other teams lacked: Jeremy Lamb. Lamb was the best athlete on the court, and after a rough first half he exploded in the second frame. Every Butler defender struggled against the magnificent freshman, who had no trouble shooting over his smaller and less athletic defenders.

I feel dumb for not expecting Connecticut to win this from the start, but in reality, Butler’s uncharacteristically bad shooting still played a large role in the result. The number of open three-pointers and layups that clanked off the rim was astounding, and it contributed greatly to the demise of the Horizon League champions. It was, in a word, sad. Butler played their hearts out on the defensive end and only surrendered 53 points – 20 points less than their season average. Yet, there was nothing they could do other than hit shots. And the Bulldogs failed to do that.

Four teams remain in what has been one of the most entertaining NCAA tournaments in recent memory. Of the teams that will square off this weekend in the Final Four, none were realistically expected to make it this far. And based on the matchups, it is clear that come Monday night, there will be a basketball powerhouse matched up with a Cinderella.

(4) Kentucky vs. (3) UCONN
These two teams have been basketball powerhouses throughout a good portion of the last decade, and this year has been an opportunity for both to exceed expectations. After Kentucky took the SEC tournament and UCONN the Big East tournament, both entered the big dance fairly “underseeded” according to Dick Vitale, and he was right. Each team has a ton of talent and both are led by guards who are not afraid to take over in crunch time. Brandon Knight has shown his ability to hit clutch shots, as he has already hit two game-winners in this tournament. Kemba Walker may be the most widely-known clutch performer, as he has consistently taken over late in games. If this game goes down to the wire, I fully expect the two of them to try and take over the game, and if that happens, look for Kemba to have the upper-hand. Experience is crucial in the big dance, and Knight may have a ton of talent, but he is still a freshman and extremely inexperienced when pitted against Walker, a senior who has been here before.
A matchup that I am looking forward to is in paint, where rebounding terror Josh Harrellson will look to out-muscle Alex Oriakhi. While neither is extremely talented on the offensive end, look for the two big men to battle non-stop in the paint. Harrellson will have a slight advantage, as Terrence Jones can step in and body up Oriakhi, as well. Connecticut’s X-factor for this game will be Jeremy Lamb, who is extremely talented but will be hounded by Darius Miler or DeAndre Liggins throughout the entire game. If Kentucky has any experience in their rotation, it is between Miller and Liggins, who both are seasoned veterans compared to the younger rotation players that surround them. If they can take Lamb out of his game, Connecticut will have trouble scoring points, and Kentucky will be at an advantage with their plethora of pure scorers. If I had to bet on a team to win, it would be the Wildcats. They can score in so many different ways and their interior defense is good enough where Kemba Walker will not be able to score as much in the paint as he usually does.

(11) VCU vs. (8) Butler
Considered by some to be the mid-major’s championship game, I no longer consider Butler to be a mid-major program. If you can make it to the Final Four in back-to-back seasons, you are no mid-major. VCU, on the other hand, may not have the postseason resume of their opponent, but they definitely have the talent to matchup with anybody, as was evident by their shellacking of Kansas in the Elite Eight. Some combination of Shaka Smart’s coaching and the emergence of VCU’s once-underperforming players has led to a well-rounded Final Four team. Jamie Skeen is my favorite player in the tournament, and can do everything on the floor. He can take his man off the dribble, knock down a three-pointer, and post up smaller defenders. Wake Forest must be kicking themselves for letting him transfer. Of course, he has not faced a player like Matt Howard, who can do everything that I just mentioned for Skeen. When teams like VCU and Butler have these multi-dimensional big men, they pose huge problems for defenders (see the Morris twins from Kansas and Florida’s Vernon Macklin/Alex Tyus). But now that those multi-dimensional players are playing against each other, it will be interesting to see how they adjust their games.
Despite my attention focused on Skeen and Howard, the player that has garnered the most media attention, at least during the Elite Eight, was undoubtedly Joey Rodriguez. The Rams point guard was constantly shown anytime his team did anything remotely good or bad – even when he was on the bench. Sure, he deserves a lot of the attention, but his team is so talented that the other players like Bradford Burgess or Brandon Rozzell deserve some credit, as well. Defending Rodriguez will most likely be Shelvin Mack, a heady point guard who is strong with the ball and poses a difficult matchup for all opponents. But the Bulldogs’ X-factor to me is Shawn Vanzant, who has logged a ton of minutes in the tournament. He will likely be responsible for guarding either Burgess or Rozzell (or both) and if he can provide some baskets to help out Mack, Howard, and Andrew Smith, the Bulldogs will be in good shape. Despite all of the talent and experience those players have for Butler, I still think VCU will come out on top. They have more talent, and unlike Butler’s earlier opponents, they have come out and played 40 minutes of tough basketball in every game. This game will be won or lost in the final seconds, and while both teams know how to win in the postseason, I think Shaka Smart and his team are a little bit hungrier.