2011 NCAA Tournament: 5 Most-Improved Seniors Who Will Make an Impact

First off, for all those fans new to men's college basketball, let me answer your first question: 

What’s a senior?

A senior is a player who stays in college throughout all four of the years he is eligible to play for his school. Albeit rare among the NCAA’s top talent, seniors can benefit their teams with experience, leadership...and talent.

Kidding aside, this collection of seniors is made up of surprising players—players whose improvement during their college careers, and in their final season in particular, exceeded the majority of expectations and perceptions heaped upon them when they arrived on campus.

As their teams move toward the NCAA tournament, keep an eye on these wise, old sages.

Justin Harper, Richmond

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PROVIDENCE, RI - MARCH 18: Omar Samhan #50 of the Saint Mary's Gaels takese a shot as Justin Harper #32 of the Richmond Spiders defends during the first round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament on March 18, 2010 at the Dunkin Donuts Arena in Pr

As a freshman, Harper watched mostly from the bench as the Spiders struggled to a 16-15 record. Now, the 6’10” forward is perhaps the main reason Richmond is approaching its second straight at-large appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Harper is the team leader in points (18.1), rebounds (6.8), made three-point shots (68) and blocks (1.2).

It is a huge jump for Justin, who only averaged 10 points per game his sophomore and junior seasons. 

Shooting 56 percent, Harper’s tallied double-digit point totals in all but two games this season, where foul trouble limited him to only 15 minutes per contest.

Ben Hansbrough, Notre Dame

Will Ben Hansbrough's Irish eyes smile with a number-one seeding?

Remember Tyler’s little brother, the scrappy guard for Missouri State?

Well, after transferring to the Irish, he was still an afterthought at the beginning of the year, as Notre Dame fans expected two different seniors, Tim Abromaitis or Carleton Scott, to take the on-court leadership role.

Hansbrough was not even named to the Big East's preseason first or second team. Now, the 6’3” guard is in the conversation for conference player of the year. Third in the Big East in scoring (18.4), this Big Ben leads Notre Dame in assists (4.2) and made three-point shots (78).

No more queries from Mr. or Mrs. Hansbrough, asking, “Why can’t you be more like your brother?”

D.J. Gay, San Diego State

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LAS VEGAS, NV - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Steve Fisher of the San Diego State Aztecs talks to D.J. Gay #23 during the team's game against the UNLV Rebels at the Thomas & Mack Center February 12, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. San Diego State won 63-57. (Photo

In high school, Gay was California’s fifth-highest scorer his senior season. Today, the 6’0” guard barely needs to shoot to have a major effect on an Aztecs’ victory. Setting up sophomore Kawhi Leonard on offense and leading the San Diego State attack keeps Gay fairly busy—and important to the team.

D.J. leads the Mountain West Conference with a 2.94-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Scoring, however, still comes naturally—when required. In conference wins this season, Gay’s point total has ranged from four to 30 points.

He may not always reach double figures, but this D.J.'s hands keep the SDSU offense spinning.

Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Washington

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SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 20: Forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning #11 of the Washington Huskies takes a shot against the New Mexico Lobos during the second round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at HP Pavilion on March 20, 2010 in San Jose, California.

Straight outta London! 

Give some credit to the UW recruiting staff for finding the 6’9”, 240-pound low-post presence.

The Huskies offense ranks in the nation’s top 15 in both scoring and rebounding; Bryan-Amaning can take some of the credit, racking up 10 double-doubles this season.

Averaging 16.2 points a game, he’s a sliver behind team leader Isaiah Thomas. It is double his production from last season, an amazing feat considering he only increased his minutes per game by five.  

On the boards, however, is where this chap proves to be a difference maker. His 8.4 rebounds per game average is good enough for fourth in the Pac-10. His real strength is underneath his own basket, as he is the conference leader with more than three offensive rebounds per contest.

Chandler Parsons, Florida

Chandler Parsons: a project proving he was worth the wait

The most famous Chandler south of Central Perk, Parsons arrived in Gainesville as a three-point threat, which he lived up to his freshman year by netting 35 shots from beyond the arc.

As a senior, he recorded another 35 three-pointers during the Gators’ regular season. Along the way, however, Parsons became an all-around performer; at 6’10”, he leads the squad in rebounds (7.8) and assists (3.6).

The hype may have started during his junior season, beating the buzzer against N.C. State and South Carolina, but Parsons’ consistency this season is proving a serious threat to the Gator bait.