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Freshmen rule the roost when it comes to college basketball hype, but seniors like Josh Hart and Frank Mason are the experienced leaders most likely to determine which teams dominate the 2016-17 season.

These 25 oldies but goodies were ranked based on a combination of (in descending order of importance) individual statistics, value and projected team success.

A big-time performer for a potential national champion would obviously rank at or near the top, but there aren't many seniors who fit that bill. It was largely a balancing act between crucial role players on quality teams and stat sheet-stuffers on not-so-quality teams.

With that said, there was no shortage of viable candidates. In addition to our top 25, there are nine honorable mentions and about two dozen other players who were difficult to cut from the list.

It won't be quite the "Year of the Senior" that 2015-16 was, but the state of college basketball remains in excellent hands with these veterans.