Ranking the Top Seniors for the 2016-17 College Basketball Season

Many labeled this past college basketball season as the "Year of the Senior," but that isn't likely to be the case in 2016-17, based on this projection of the nation's top seniors.

With all due respect to talented players like Josh Hart, Monte Morris and London Perrantes, those names don't spark "Wooden worthy" debates quite like Buddy Hield, Denzel Valentine, Malcolm Brogdon, Ron Baker, Georges Niang and Marcus Paige did one year ago.

Then again, maybe they were just overshadowed by the sheer number of noteworthy seniors and will shine brightly now that it's their moment in the sun.

Either way, look for these 10 players to put up big numbers in their final year of college eligibility.

Players we're assuming will not return for senior season: Kris Dunn, DeAndre' Bembry, Demetrius Jackson, Damian Jones, Wayne Selden, Kay Felder, Tim Quarterman, Anthony "Cat" Barber, Robert Carter Jr., Jaron Blossomgame, Stefan Jankovic, Brannen Greene and Devin Williams.

Honorable Mentions

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J.J. Frazier is one of the seniors to keep an eye on this year.

J.J. Frazier, Georgia

Frazier was on the short list of 13 players who averaged at least 16.0 points, 4.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game last season. Of the other 12 players, seven graduated and five declared for the NBA draft, leaving Frazier as the only returning member of that club. If Georgia is going to have a bounce-back year, he'll need another season like that.

Malcolm Hill, Illinois

Injuries kept Illinois from accomplishing much of anything last season, but Hill did his part, averaging 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He'll need to improve his three-point stroke (31.4 percent last year) before we can consider him one of the best seniors in the country, though.

Charles Cooke, Dayton

The former James Madison transfer was a huge addition for Dayton, but the Flyers will need even more out of him with Dyshawn Pierre now out of the picture. In fact, this is one of the more senior-reliant teams in the entire country, as Scoochie Smith, Kendall Pollard and Kyle Davis all enter their final year of eligibility.

JeQuan Lewis, VCU

Lewis flew below the radar for most of the year, but VCU's point guard averaged 20.7 points and 8.0 assists in his final three games. He could have a monster year if he can harness that assertiveness for more than just the occasional big game.

Nigel Hayes, Wisconsin

Hayes was one of the most efficient players in the country two years ago, but he struggled in the lead role this past season, stumbling to the finish line by scoring just 39 points on his final 54 field-goal attempts. But if Vitto Brown and Ethan Happ continue to play like they did in the final two months of the 2015-16 season, more opportunities should arise for Hayes to shine.

Hoping to Avoid Injury

Amile Jefferson (Duke), Jalan West (Northwestern State), Dylan Ennis (Oregon)

All three of these guys should have already played their final collegiate seasons, but the injury bug had other plans. Jefferson played nine games and averaged a double-double, but West (one) and Ennis (three) combined to play in just four games in 2015-16. Each one will be a crucial contributor this year, if healthy.

Minor Conference Studs

James Daniel (Howard), Quinton Hooker (North Dakota), Justin Robinson (Monmouth), Evan Bradds (Belmont)

These four players put up ridiculous numbers last season, well outside the national spotlight. Bradds shot better than 71 percent from the field while averaging 17.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Daniel led the nation in scoring at 27.1 points per game while Hooker (20.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 SPG) and Robinson (19.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG) also scored a ton while contributing in several other categories, as well.

Look for all four to post monster numbers, but don't expect to find them on TV all that often.

10. Alec Peters, Valparaiso

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2015-16 Stats: 18.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 1.3 APG, 44.0 3P%

In the past 20 years, there are only two players who averaged at least 18.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while making at least 80 three-pointers in a season: Valparaiso's Alec Peters and some guy from Texas named Kevin Durant.

By no means is Peters destined to be the next Durant, but that's a testament to how crucial he has been for the Crusaders over the past few years.

The scary part is he might just be warming up.

Peters was only responsible for 25.2 percent of Valparaiso's field-goal attempts while on the court last season. Most minor-conference scoring machines are well above 30 percent in that metric, and that might be the case for Peters in 2016-17 with Vashil Fernandez, E. Victor Nickerson, Darien Walker and Keith Carter all graduating this summer.

9. Frank Mason III, Kansas

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2015-16 Stats: 12.9 PPG, 4.6 APG, 4.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 38.1 3P%

Frank Mason III is losing sidekicks Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis, but he'll still be expected to be the primary ball-handler for one of the biggest threats to win the national championship.

One of Mason's best attributes is his consistency. He had at least three assists in 35 of Kansas' 38 games last season and scored between 10-16 points 27 times. He's not the type of guy who's going to explode for 30 points—his career high is just 21—but he's also not the type of guy to implode on any given night. You know what you're getting from him, and you know he's going to make everyone around him better.

Mason is also a plus-defender, as we were able to witness in the epic triple-overtime game against Oklahoma in January.

Basically, if you could power a metronome with the Energizer Bunny, you'd have Mason. His relentless consistency is second to none, and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do alongside Josh Jackson, who, by all accounts, is also an insatiable two-way guard.

8. Peter Jok, Iowa

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2015-16 Stats: 16.1 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 40.2 3P%

If you can place a prop bet on who will lead the Big Ten in scoring in 2016-17, put it all on Peter Jok and thank us later. Five Hawkeyes averaged better than 6.0 points per game last season, but Jok is the only one with any college eligibility remaining.

Even with Jarrod Uthoff taking a ton of shots, Jok averaged 18.3 points over his final 18 games, shooting 51-of-117 (43.6 percent) from three-point range while also serving as Iowa's best on-ball defender. He was the KenPom.com MVP of eight games last season, including the season-defining road win over Michigan State.

Can he do it as the alpha dog, though?

Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes put up incredible numbers when he had teammates like Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky for opponents to worry about, but he was painfully inefficient as the primary weapon in the Badgers offense this past season. If Jok can avoid a similar fate as the focal point for opposing defenses, he could average 20 points per game with room to spare.

7. Jack Gibbs, Davidson

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2015-16 Stats: 23.4 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.1 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 33.2 3P%, 100 TO

We note the subpar three-point percentage and turnover total above as a means of pointing out potential areas of improvement for Jack Gibbs, because he otherwise just had one of the more ridiculous seasons in recent college basketball history.

In the past 16 years, only five players have averaged at least 23.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game: Gibbs, Stephen Curry, Rodney Stuckey, Billy Baron and Kay Felder. And those other four guys didn't have a sidekick like Gibbs had in Brian Sullivan, so he might put up even more ridiculous numbers this year now that Sullivan has graduated.

Gibbs shot 42.5 percent from three-point range as a sophomore before struggling with his accuracy as a junior. If he rediscovers that stroke as a senior, could he become the first player in two decades to average 30 points per game? Considering head coach Bob McKillop let Curry score 28.6 per game in 2008-09, there's no good reason to assume that Davidson's star won't have the permanent green light in 2016-17.

6. Kris Jenkins, Villanova

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2015-16 Stats: 13.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG, 38.6 3P%

What will Kris Jenkins do for an encore?

He will always be remembered as the guy who drained the game-winning dagger in the national championship game, but now Jenkins has the chance to show that he's more than just a three-point specialist—and, consequently, a chance to prove that he deserves to be drafted.

For his first two-plus seasons, Jenkins was a bit of a one-trick pony. In the final 28 games of his sophomore season, he averaged 18.3 minutes, 2.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists with a grand total of 10 made two-pointers, nine steals and five blocks. He was out there for three-pointers and little else. But in the final 24 games of this past season, he averaged 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with 60 made two-pointers, 21 steals and 12 blocks.

With Daniel Ochefu and Ryan Arcidiacono both out of the picture, there's a good chance his rebounds and assists will continue to rise. If he keeps shooting close to 40 percent from three-point range in the process, he'll be in the conversation for the Wooden Award, and Villanova will have a realistic shot at back-to-back titles.

5. Jordan Woodard, Oklahoma

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2015-16 Stats: 13.0 PPG, 3.4 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 45.5 3P%

Jordan Woodard is our second of three Big 12 point guards in the top 10, each of whom loses a ton of his supporting cast this offseason.

However, nothing quite compares to Woodard losing Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins and Ryan Spangler. With a level of cohesion that we almost never see in college basketball, those four Sooners started each and every one of Oklahoma's 105 games over the past three seasons. After playing alongside those teammates for so long, it might take a little while for Woodard to adjust to his new surroundings.

Once he makes that transition, though, he should have a special final season in Norman, Oklahoma.

We all obsessed over Hield, but Woodard had a darn fine 2015-16 season too. He shot 45.5 percent from three-point range while leading the team in steals and ranking second in points and assists. As noted in our Final Four breakdown, Oklahoma played its best this year when Woodard was shooting well, slumping as a team during the portion of the season in which he couldn't buy a long-range bucket.

Expect a slight drop from Oklahoma this season, but if you think the Sooners are going to completely drop off the radar without the 2016 Wooden Award winner (Hield), you're underselling what Woodard can do for this team.

4. Chris Boucher, Oregon

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2015-16 Stats: 12.1 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.9 BPG, 33.9 3P%

Is there a more versatile big man in college basketball than Oregon's Chris Boucher?

He's one of the best shot-blockers in the country, he runs the floor like a gazelle, he can both score and defend beyond the three-point arc and is an excellent rebounder to boot. Just about the only thing he doesn't do well is pass the ball, but we rarely expect 6'10" centers to rank among the team leaders in assists.

Before the 2015-16 season began, we weren't sure what to expect from the JUCO transfer. Oregon already had one excellent shot-blocker on the roster, but Jordan Bell missed the start of the season with a broken foot, opening the door for Boucher to shine. He had five blocks, two steals and two made three-pointers in his D-I debut and put up 17 points, nine rebounds and nine blocks less than two weeks later against Arkansas State.

The rest, as they say, is history. And with Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin no longer on the roster, the future could be brighter for Boucher—particularly if he becomes even more deadly from three-point range.

3. London Perrantes, Virginia

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2015-16 Stats: 11.0 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 48.8 3P%

Between Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill and Mike Tobey, Virginia is losing an awful lot this offseason. In fact, London Perrantes is the only returning Cavalier who averaged at least 4.7 points per game in 2015-16. Help is on the way in the form of Memphis transfer Austin Nichols and standout freshman combo guard Kyle Guy, but there's no denying this is Perrantes' ship to captain.

Even at Virginia's snail-like pace, he should put up ridiculous numbers this season.

Though he has a career three-point shooting percentage of 42.7, he's had the luxury of letting others take the lead. But he no longer has a Brogdon, Justin Anderson or Joe Harris to defer to on offense. Devon Hall, Marial Shayok and Darius Thompson can shoot, but Perrantes ought to attempt more three-pointers than all three of those wings combined.

Perrantes averaged 6.0 three-point attempts per game over his last 12. Look for that number—as well as his points and assists per game—to increase as he battles Duke's trio of outstanding freshmen for ACC Player of the Year.

2. Monte Morris, Iowa State

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2015-16 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.9 RPG, 1.8 SPG, 35.8 3P%

Much like Virginia's London Perrantes, Monte Morris is one of the few remaining pieces in a sea of attrition. Georges Niang (20.5 PPG), Abdel Nader (12.9 PPG) and Jameel McKay (11.1 PPG) all graduate, leaving the Cyclones without a single returning player taller than 6'4" who scored more than 10 points last season.

Fortunately, they still have the best point guard in the nation.

In three seasons with the uptempo Cyclones, Morris has averaged 5.2 assists per game, 4.5 assists per turnover and 1.4 steals per turnover. For some reason, though, he has always been viewed as more of a game manager than a dynamic guard.

With limited talent around him, this season will be his chance to change that narrative.

A few years ago, Louisville's Russ Smith turned down a shot at the NBA, coming back for one more season to prove that he could be more of an offensive facilitator than a ball hog. Look for Morris to go the opposite direction, using this senior year to show that he can be the primary scorer in a successful offense.

1. Josh Hart, Villanova

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2015-16 Stats: 15.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 35.7 3P%

Of the 10 players in the 2015-16 KenPom.com Player of the Year standings, eight were seniors, one (Domantas Sabonis) declared for the NBA draft and the other is Villanova's Josh Hart. Based on that alone, Hart has to be regarded as one of the best returning players in the country.

He's very similar to now-former Virginia Cavalier Malcolm Brogdon in that he's just as likely to drive opponents crazy on either end of the court. Hart has a nose for the basketball and instinctively knows where to be on seemingly every possession. It's why the 6'5" wing averaged 8.0 rebounds per 40 minutes in his first three collegiate seasons.

Also reminiscent of Brogdon, Hart is a silent assassin. It might feel like the opposing team is keeping him under wraps, but then you look at the box score and it has Hart's fingerprints all over it. And on nights when it does feel like he's abusing the competition, he's ripping it to shreds.

Hart isn't the type of Player of the Year candidate who is going to average 25 points per game, but he might be the most indispensable player in the country because of everything he does in addition to his nightly output of roughly 16 points.

Kerry Miller covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.