---

Unlike last season, which featured fabulous freshmen galore, this year’s NCAA Tournament is all about college basketball’s seniors taking center stage.

---

In an era of “one and done” players, this year’s college basketball scene has witnessed a refreshing departure from the usual narrative.

Last season, freshman center Karl-Anthony Towns was part of an ultra-talented group at Kentucky which nearly ran the table, finishing 38-1 after falling to Wisconsin in the Final Four.

A trio of freshman — Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow — led Duke to the national championship. In last summer’s NBA draft, Towns and Okafor were taken first and third overall, respectively.

The 2015-16 season held a much different outlook. This year’s marquee freshman and top pro prospect, Ben Simmons, is on the outside looking in after LSU failed to make the field of 68 and declined to accept another postseason invitation. Duke is riding the wave of stud forward Brandon Ingram, but the Blue Devils are nowhere near as balanced as last year, and the team is as much Ingram’s as it is Grayson Allen’s.

Instead, there are players like Buddy Hield, Denzel Valentine and Brice Johnson who hope to lead their teams to the Final Four. The common denominator between these polished players: they’re upperclassmen. As seniors they bring maturity, experience and consistency to the table. All have been named as first team All-Americans by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association and Sports Illustrated, and all could have their team in a position to cut down the nets in Houston.

Buddy Hield, guard, Oklahoma (6-4, 214)

Perhaps no one in college basketball relishes being on the big stage like Hield (25.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.1 apg). He’s demonstrated the ability to step up when his Sooners need him most and loves to have the ball in his hands during crunch time.

No one will forget Hield’s line of 46 points, eight rebounds and seven assists on the road at Kansas, even if Oklahoma came up short in triple-overtime. In the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, he dropped 39 in a win over Iowa State. The bottom line: Hield’s offensive explosiveness makes the second-seeded Sooners a team you won’t want to miss.

Denzel Valentine, guard, Michigan State (6-5, 220)

It’s difficult to find a more complete and versatile player at the collegiate level. Valentine (19.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 7.6 apg) does it all for the Spartans, something that quickly became evident after he recorded 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists as MSU rallied to defeat Kansas in November.

Tom Izzo has praised his work ethic and basketball IQ while also noting Valentine is an underrated defender. Above all, Valentine is a winner and a leader. Given he came just one assist shy of another triple-double in MSU’s Big Ten championship win over Purdue, it seems he’s ready to do a lot more of that as the second-seeded Spartans take aim at six more victories.

Brice Johnson, forward, North Carolina (6-9, 228)

Athletic and long, Johnson (16.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg) has steadily improved over the course of his four years in Chapel Hill. He clearly saved his best for last, stepping up in his final season as an emotional leader for the Tar Heels.

A highly efficient player, Johnson connected on 61.4 percent of his shots this season. After tallying 39 points and 23 rebounds in a road win over Florida State on Jan. 4, Roy Williams called it one of the best performances he’s ever seen. Johnson also came up big with 18 points and 21 boards as UNC evened its season series with Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5.

Simply put, containing Johnson is tough to do. And it may be opponents’ only hope if they’re going to stop the Tar Heels.

WATCH: Seth Davis’ Final Four Picks