College Basketball: Power Ranking the Top 10 Players in the Country

March Madness has come to an end, as the Luther Vandross rendition of "One Shining Moment" marked the finish to another fantastic season. Personally, I am not ready to let go of the oh-so-great month that is March Madness.

This list features big men and guards, freshmen and seniors alike. Read on to discover my top 10 talents for the past five months.

10. Kevin Jones (West Virginia)

Make no mistake—without Kevin Jones, there is no way the Mountaineers would have captured an NCAA Tournament bid.

The 6'8" senior forward averaged 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game during his final season in Morgantown. Jones’ overall game has matured a lot since he first arrived on the college landscape, and it was fun to see everything come together for this young man as a senior.

Kevin is an efficient scorer and a tireless rebounder. Along with point guard Darryl ‘Truck’ Bryant, Jones served as a leader for a young Mountaineers squad that worked in various newcomers this season.

When a close game was winding down, there was no question that Jones would be the player taking the big shot for West Virginia. The Mountaineers didn’t achieve the success that Kansas or Kentucky did, but it would have been a much longer season for the West Virginia faithful had Kevin Jones not shouldered a majority of the load.

9. Doug McDermott (Creighton)

Harrison Barnes received the lion’s share of attention when he played with Doug McDermott back in high school. Now though, after two seasons playing under his dad at Creighton, Doug his individually established himself as one of the premier talents in the country.

McDermott was one of the top scorers in the country this season, averaging 23.2 points per game. At 6'7", Doug is capable driving to the basket and is also a lethal three-point shooter.

Doug McDermott and Creighton were not on national television nearly as much as Kentucky, Ohio State and North Carolina. With that being said, you really only need to watch Doug play one time to see what a special player he is.

Doug’s 33-point outburst in Creighton’s overtime victory over Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament final stands out as one of the best individual performances I watched all season.

8. Austin Rivers (Duke)

The most memorable moment from Austin Rivers’ freshman season was easily his game-winning shot against hated rival North Carolina in Chapel Hill. One game-winning shot alone will not cement your place as one of the country’s top talents, but Austin consistently proved all year why Blue Devils fans had such high expectations for this freshman.

Rivers proved hard to stop when driving to the basket and also showed off some proficient range from behind the three-point arc. Austin Rivers has already announced that he will enter the NBA Draft, but Coach K had to be pleased with what he got from Austin during his one season on campus.

Duke’s season came to screeching thud when the heavily-favored Blue Devils were upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by 15th seed Lehigh. As a result, Rivers didn’t showcase himself on the NCAA’s big stage like he might have hoped. Nevertheless, Austin’s entire body of work definitely spoke for itself.

7. Draymond Green (Michigan State)

In an era of college basketball where the top talents rarely use all of their eligibility at a school, it is nice to recognize a player such as Draymond Green.

Green, a senior from nearby Saginaw, capped off his storied Michigan State career with a fantastic senior season.

Draymond Green is the epitome of a stat-sheet stuffer, as he showed during Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament victory over LIU-Brooklyn, where he posted a triple-double (24 PTS, 12 REB, 10 AST). Green is a capable low-block scorer, but he also has shooting range that extends out past the three-point arc. This versatility only made Draymond that much more of a matchup problem for coaches.

What also stands out about Draymond Green are his intangibles. He plays with tremendous energy, is a great leader and carries himself well on the court. It is no wonder that Tom Izzo always speaks so highly of his senior big man.

6. Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

Harrison Barnes recently announced that he would move onto the NBA rather than return to Chapel Hill for his junior season at North Carolina. North Carolina just missed out on making the Final Four during Barnes' two seasons at the school, but you cannot fault Harrison for the Tar Heels coming up short.

Barnes combination of size, strength and athleticism make him a potent scorer on offense. On defense, Harrison’s length and aforementioned athleticism allow him to be very disruptive, as well.

Barnes is clearly ready to make the jump to the NBA. He would obviously have loved to guide North Carolina to a Final Four appearance, but that should not diminish the two excellent seasons he had at UNC.

5. Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)

Tyler Zeller’s success at North Carolina did not come without overcoming adversity. Zeller fought through and overcame injuries that at one time looked to be severely holding back the Tar Heels' big man.

Zeller’s coronation as ACC Player of the Year as a senior served as well-deserved hardware for Tyler’s monstrous senior season. He plays with tremendous energy and was the centerpiece of North Carolina’s massive frontcourt.

Zeller is highly productive around the basket and is a high-volume rebounder. Also, in an age where so many big men think they are three-point marksmen, it is nice to see Tyler stick to his strengths as a player. (Zeller only shot two three-pointers during his career at North Carolina.)

As I said, Tyler Zeller’s path to success at North Carolina did not come without obstacles, but in the end he ran through every roadblock that stood in his way. 

4. Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Yes, Jared Sullinger’s 5-for-19 shooting performance against Kansas in the National Semifinal did not serve as a booming climax to the big man’s season. Regardless, overall Sullinger built on the momentum he carried over from his fantastic freshman season and lands on this top 10 list.

Jared served as the catalyst behind Ohio State’s march back to the Final Four. The sophomore uses his body effectively in the post and is a highly-active rebounder.

Sullinger surprised many when he announced that he would return to Ohio State for his sophomore season. It’s unclear at this point whether Jared will move onto the NBA or attempt another run at a national title.

Either way, the Columbus native has definitely lived up to the massive hype that surrounded him when he first stepped on campus 18 months ago.

3. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky)

The masses will immediately think of Anthony Davis when this year’s Kentucky team gets mentioned. Davis may have more national star power than Kidd-Gilchrist, but Michael was just as instrumental to Kentucky’s massive success this season.

Kidd-Gilchrist consistently made big shots throughout the Wildcats' NCAA Tournament run. Stopping Michael as he drove to the basket also proved to be a near-impossible task, whether in transition or the half-court.

Kidd-Gilchrist’s 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game aren’t overly ridiculous, but he did it all for this Kentucky team, coming up huge in the biggest of moments.

Whether as a scorer, rebounder or defender, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made his presence felt in many different facets on the court. Kidd-Gilchrist’s freshman campaign may be his only season in Lexington, but he will not be forgotten by Big Blue Nation.

2. Thomas Robinson (Kansas)

Falling short of the Final Four as a one-seed during the past two seasons was definitely a tad frustrating for some Kansas fans. The sting of those postseason misses, as well as the departures of Marcus and Markeiff Morris, didn’t leave Jayhawk fans overly optimistic for the 2011-12 campaign.

Someone had to step up and be the driving force for Kansas this season, and that is exactly what Thomas Robinson was. The junior forward contributed in a smaller capacity during his first two seasons in Lawrence, but enjoyed a breakout campaign this past season.

Robinson is a terror on the glass as evidenced by his 11.8 rebounds per game. Thomas used his strength and athleticism to get to the rim and overpower defenders in the post.

Kansas fans knew that Robinson had the potential to have a breakout campaign as a junior, but I don’t know if even they expected him to be as dominant as he was throughout this past season.

1. Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

I consider myself to be somewhat of a cynic when it comes to recruiting rankings, and I refuse to predict greatness for incoming freshmen based on the number of stars that pop up next to a prospect’s name. With that being said, it didn’t take long for me to realize that Anthony Davis could back up the tremendous amount of hype that the good people at Rivals and Scout bestowed upon him.

To say that Davis is simply an incredible shot-blocker does not do him justice. Anthony uses a variety of post moves to score around the paint, and has a sweet stroke on his jump shot.

His gaudy statistics as well as his polished skill set are impressive, but what really makes Anthony truly special are his intangibles. He shows great poise on the court and always plays with a tremendous amount of hustle and energy.

There were no shortage of big time talents in this college basketball season, but Anthony Davis stands above the rest as the number one player on this writer’s list.