March Madness 2016: The All-Tournament Team Through Elite 8

The year of the senior will continue this weekend at the Final Four, featuring Buddy Hield getting buckets, Brice Johnson's springy legs and Ryan Arcidiacono as Villanova's quiet assassin.

This NCAA tournament has been the seniors' show with the occasional supporting performance from a young gun—like Syracuse's Malachi Richardson raining threes on Virginia.

Seven of the 10 players on the all-tournament team are seniors. Richardson is the lone freshman. Hield is on a run we haven't seen since Stephen Curry owned March in 2008. Hield, for the record, is only slightly behind Curry (128-117) through four games, but Hield wins with a regional title on his resume.

On the other side of the bracket, North Carolina's Johnson is putting forth one of the best big-man performances we've seen in years.

It should be a fun Final Four, especially for the old fellas.

Second Team

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Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma: The greatness of Buddy Hield would not be possible without Woodard's, whose shooting has kept defenses honest. Woodard has made 11 of 19 threes in the tournament and is averaging 16.8 points and three assists per game. The junior even outshone Hield in a Sweet 16 win over Texas A&M, knocking down five of six three-pointers on his way to a game-high 22 points.

Michael Gbinije, Syracuse: The Orange's senior point guard played a big role on both ends in getting the No. 10 seed to Houston. Gbinije is averaging 16 points, four assists and two steals per game in the tournament and went for 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting against Middle Tennessee in his best game.

Marcus Paige, North Carolina: Paige's smooth lefty stroke is back. The senior struggled with his jumper for much of the season, but he's made 48.1 percent of his threes in the NCAA tournament. He wiped out Indiana in the Sweet 16 by burying his first five threes. He's averaging 14 points per game, and more importantly, his jumper has helped open up the inside for UNC's talented front line.

Georges Niang, Iowa State: Niang cemented his status as an all-time Cyclone with his three-game run in the tournament. He went for 28 points in each of his first two contests and put up 30 in a loss to Virginia in the Sweet 16. No player on a losing team had a more impressive tourney than Niang.

Anthony Gill, Virginia: One of the Cavaliers' biggest issues during their collapse against Syracuse was not getting the ball to Gill enough. The senior made all four of his shots from the field and both of his free throws against the 'Cuse. He was one of the most efficient scorers in the tournament, averaging 17.8 points per game on 75 percent shooting.

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

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By the Numbers: Are you enjoying the Buddy Hield show, America? Hield has been a scoring machine all season and somehow lifted his game to another level in the NCAA tournament. He's averaging 29.3 points per game and doing so in an efficient manner, knocking down 19 of 40 threes and making 19 of his 27 shots inside the arc.

Shining Moment: Dropping 37 points on Oregon in the regional final in front of Kobe Bryant. Bryant was Hield's idol growing up, and the Lakers legend was in the stands for both of Hield's games in Anaheim, California. My colleague Jason King caught up with Bryant before he exited the arena after Hield's brilliant performance against the Ducks.

"Blown away," Bryant told King. "Blown away. ... I just love his motor. I love his passion and his energy. He puts everything he has into the game. Lots of guys go hard out there, but with him, it's on a different level. You can see it on his face. He truly loves every minute that he's out there."

And we love watching Buddy get his buckets.

What's Next: Villanova will get a second shot at Oklahoma after getting blown out by 23 earlier this season in the Pearl Harbor Invitational. The one thing the Wildcats did well that day was keep Hield below his usual standards. He put up 18 points but needed 17 shots to get there. Nova's defense is one of the best in the country, especially on the perimeter, and it will be the stiffest D that Hield has faced in the tournament.

Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova

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By the Numbers: Ryan Arcidiacono has been clutch throughout the tournament, burying 11 of 19 threes and 13 of 14 free throws. He's been more aggressive looking for his shot, and he's averaging 16 points per game.

Shining Moment: Arcidiacono went around a ball screen and made what was the go-ahead three for Villanova against Kansas in the Elite Eight. He also had a hand in the game-deciding defensive play, helping to strip Devonte' Graham in the final minute, which led to Graham diving for the ball and picking up his fifth foul when he took out the legs of Josh Hart. Arcidiacono's defensive pressure was key to taking the Jayhawks out of their offensive rhythm.

What's Next: Arcidiacono is one of the Wildcats who will likely get the chance to chase Buddy Hield around Saturday in the national semifinals. His defense will be key as the Wildcats try to advance to their first national title game since 1985.

Malachi Richardson, Syracuse

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By the Numbers: Syracuse wouldn't still be alive if it weren't for Malachi Richardson. He took over in the second half against Virginia, scoring 21 of his 23 points after halftime to lead a comeback win. Richardson was awesome in the opening round (21 points) and the regional final, and that's enough to make up for his games in between (a combined 14 points in the second and third rounds).

Shining Moment: It's hard to pick a play from his second half against the 'Hoos. Richardson buried three huge threes and the go-ahead layup, but I'll take his ball fake and late layup that put the 'Cuse up six points. Under the basket, Richardson deked to his right to spin Mike Tobey's head, which gave him an easy bucket at the rim.

What's Next: Richardson will need to deliver in the Final Four for the Orange to get past North Carolina. The Tar Heels swept Syracuse this season, and Richardson averaged just 13 points per game on only 39.1 percent shooting.

Kris Jenkins, Villanova

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By the Numbers: Kris Jenkins is known for his offense (we'll get to that shortly), but it was his defense that played a huge role in Villanova getting past top overall seed Kansas. Jenkins helped hold KU star Perry Ellis to a season-low four points on 1-of-5 shooting. It was the first time since Feb. 27 that Ellis scored fewer than 17 points.

Jenkins buried big shot after big shot for the Wildcats on the way to the Final Four. He's averaging 15.3 points per game and has dished out 15 assists. He's also shooting 45.8 percent from distance and has made all eight of his free-throw attempts.

Shining Moment: Jenkins got the ball with the shot clock winding down late in the first half against Miami in the Sweet 16. He stroked a normal shot with one foot on the half-court decal—and drained a ridiculously deep three. The junior made five of six three-pointers and scored 21 points in that win over the Hurricanes—his signature performance of the tournament.

What's Next: Oklahoma will face a different player than the version it got back in early December. Jenkins scored only six points and missed all five of his three-point attempts that day, but he's emerged as 'Nova's go-to scorer late in the season and will be a tough matchup for OU's Ryan Spangler.

Brice Johnson, North Carolina

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By the Numbers: Brice Johnson has locked up a spot as a first-team All-American with his performance in the NCAA tournament. He's averaging 21 points per game on 63 percent shooting from the field and 86.7 percent shooting at the line, as well as 9.8 rebounds per contest. He also became the first North Carolina player with three straight 20-10 games in the NCAA tournament.

Shining Moment: Johnson rising up and over Notre Dame defenders to drop in short jumper after short jumper in the Elite Eight (he finished 10-of-15). Johnson went for 25 points and 12 rebounds against the Fighting Irish with the only blemish coming on a technical seven minutes into the second half.

"It was a boneheaded mistake on my part," Johnson said. "But, hey, I'm going to the Final Four. Whatever."

What's Next: Johnson will be key to the UNC offense against the Syracuse zone. Notre Dame tried to use a zone Sunday night, and Johnson played a part in carving it up with his mid-range jumper. The Tar Heels need to get him the ball in the middle of the zone—his sweet spot. In two games against the Orange this year, Johnson averaged 15 points and seven rebounds.

C.J. Moore covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @CJMooreBR.