College Basketball's Top Ten Senior Stars yet to Experience 'The Big Dance'

College basketball's annual March Madness tournament offers arguably the finest form of athletic competition in existence. Each year unsung stars emerge to accomplish the unthinkable and slay the bracket's "Goliaths," delivering unforgettable, inspiring new "Cinderella" stories. Inevitably, March Madness creates countless opportunities for participating players to rewrite hoop legend and lore. However, an unfortunate cast of superstars never experience the thrill of making the tournament, let alone the priceless opportunity to achieve "one shining moment" immortality.

10. Ricky Harris: UMass, Guard
Unsung Stardom: The Minutemen's guard earned NIT All-Tournament accolades and 3^rd Team A-10 All-Conference honors in 2008-2009. Harris (18.8) currently averages 18-plus ppg for the third consecutive season, while ranking 4^th on UMass' all-time scorers' list, ahead of legends Marcus Camby and Julius Erving.
Close Call: A-10 quarterfinals losses as #2 and #3 seeds in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, respectively.
March Madness Meter: Wave the white flag.UMass (6-15, 2-7), besides Harris, is absolutely awful.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, unmentioned on Draftexpress.com.

9. Keith Cothran: University of Rhode Island, Guard
Unsung Stardom: Cothran's steady improvement may culminate in a March success story for the upstart Rams. The veteran leads the Rams in scoring (15.8) and ranks 4^th in the A-10 in steals (1.7).
Close Call: Rams lost a heartbreaking A-10 final to George Washington in Cothran's freshman year to narrowly miss a long overdue NCAA Tournament berth.
March Madness Meter: Sharpen the scissors. Rams' fans anticipate an at-large bid for 19-3 Rhode Island, earning a #9 seed in Lunardi's latest edition of Bracketology.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, 49^th Senior on Draftexpress.com.

8. Marquis Gilstrap: IowaState University, Forward
Unsung Stardom: This season the versatile forward emerges as a serviceable scorer (14.7) and dominant rebounder (9.2), to complement fellow Cyclones' frontcourt star, Craig Brackins. Gilstrap claims 5^th in the Big 12's rebounding rankings.
Close Call: This season is Gilstrap's first in Ames, transferring from Gulf Coast Community College.
March Madness Meter: Another natural disaster. After a woeful two wins in the team's first eight conference games, Brackins and Gilstrap must deliver a Big 12 Tournament performance for the ages.
Pro Prospects: 44^th in mock draft on NBAdraft.net, undrafted on Draftexpress.com.

7. Jeremy Lin: Harvard University, Guard
Unsung Stardom: The "Asian-sensation" claimed 1st Team All-Ivy League honors in 2008-2009. Remarkably, Lin was recently named to the 30-player Wooden Award midseason watch list, while currently ranking 4th in Ivy League scoring (17.3) and 2^nd in assists per game (4.5).
Close Call: Harvard has not had a winning season since 2001-2002, rendering Lin's stardom and this year's club (15-5, 4-2) a rare basketball blessing for Crimson hoops' fans.
March Madness Meter: Break out the books.Harvard has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1946; unfortunately, nationally-ranked Cornell is unlikely to lose in Ivy League Tournament.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, 39^th ranked senior on Draftexpress.com.

6. Kyle Gibson: Louisiana Tech, Guard
Unsung Stardom: Seniors Gibson and Magnum Rolle have guided Tech from the doldrums of obscurity to legitimate WAC contenders. Last year, Gibson merited 2^nd Team All-WAC honors with 16.1 ppg. The Bulldogs' aggressive gunner presently places 2^nd in WAC scoring (21.3).
Close Call: Two years removed from an atrocious 6-24 overall record, 2009-2010 serves as Gibson's first winning season as a Bulldog, simply a remarkable turnaround deserving of high praise.
March Madness Meter: "Tech-nically" plausible. In spite of Tech's season success (19-5, 7-3), the squad likely needs to win the WAC Tournament to secure a March berth for the first time since 1991.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, Unranked on Draftexpress.com

5. Rodney Green: University of La Salle, Guard
Unsung Stardom: The Explorers' experienced floor general claimed Atlantic 10 2^nd team honors last season. Green currently averages 18.1 ppg and ranks 3^rd in the conference in assists with 4.1 apg.
Close Call: La Salle has won more games each year with Green at the helm, culminating in last year's team success, compiling a respectable record of 18-13.
March Madness Meter: A familiar frontier. Expect the Explorers (9^th, 11-12, 3-6) to extend a Big Dance drought, dating back to 1992, unless Green can engineer a March miracle.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, 30^th ranked senior on Draftexpress.com.

4. Jerome Jordan: Tulsa University, Center
Unsung Stardom: The seven-foot Jamaican giant's steady improvement as a scorer (15.0 ppg), complements an array of NBA-ready rebounding and defensive skills. Last year, Jordan was named to C-USA's 1^st Team, while garnering 1^st Team All-Defense league honors the past two seasons. Jordan ranks 7^th in conference scoring (15.0), 5^th in rebounds (8.2), 2^nd in blocks (2.7), and 3^rd in field goal percentage (55.3%).
Close Call: Tulsa compiled an impressive 25 wins during the 2008-2009 season, but Jordan has yet to play in a C-USA Tournament final, let alone the Big Dance.
March Madness Meter: Bubble trouble.Tulsa (2^nd, 18-5, 7-2) must make the most of two upset opportunities with Memphis and an improbable showdown at Duke. Expect the Golden Hurricanes' senior stars to reach the C-USA finals, and either win for an automatic berth, or lose to leave its fate to the committee.
Pro Prospects: 23^rd in the latest mock draft on NBAdraft.net, 35^th on Draftexpress.com.

3. Aubrey Coleman: University of Houston, Guard
Unsung Stardom: In addition to receiving the Conference USA's Newcomer of the Year Award after transferring from Southwest Mississippi Community College, Coleman was named to the league's 1^st Team squad in 2008-2009. The Cougars' silky-smooth swingman currently averages 25.9 ppg and 3.1 spg to lead the nation in scoring and steals, respectively.
Close Call: In 2008-2009, the Cougars (21-12, 10-6) reached the C-USA Tournament semis.
March Madness Meter: Houston, we have a problem. In spite of Coleman's scoring acumen, Houston's struggles (11-11, 4-5) in conference play continue, currently ranking 8^th in the league. A miracle run in the Conference USA tournament appears unlikely.
Pro Prospects: 41^st in Draftexpress.com's latest mock draft and 49^th on NBAdraft.net.

2. Marqus Blakely: University of Vermont, Forward
Unsung Stardom: Blakely quietly assumes the role of unheralded hoops' star. The versatile forward's past two seasons have warranted impressive accolades, including sweeping the Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, plus garnering All-American Honorable Mention. Blakely ranks in the conference's top 4 in points (2^nd, 17.4), rebounds (2^nd, 9.0), assists (4^th, 3.7), blocks (1^st, 2.0), and steals (1^st, 2.8).
Close Call: In Blakely's freshman year, Vermont won the regular season crown, but surprisingly lost to Albany in the American East Tournament finals.
March Madness Meter: Catamounts' hopes mounting.UV (17-8, 8-3) ranks 2^nd in the American East Conference, obviously needing to run the table in the conference tournament to allow Blakely an opportunity to steal the March Madness spotlight, ala Taylor Coppenrath.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted, 28^th ranked senior on NBAdraft.net.

1. Devan Downey: University of South Carolina, Guard
Unsung Stardom: Downey's simply sensational since transferring to USC from Cincinnati after a solid freshman year. The two-time 1^st Team All-SEC guard garnered Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2008-2009. Downey (23.0) currently ranks 5^th on the nation's top scorers' list and 2^nd in steals (3.0).
Close Call: In 2008-2009, Downey led the USC to an NIT bid as SEC-East Co-Champs.
March Madness Meter: "Down-ey" and out? A recent 2-4 SEC stretch will likely extend the Gamecocks' (7^th, 13-9, 4-4) lengthy tournament drought; however, expect Downey to make some noise in SEC postseason play.
Pro Prospects: Undrafted on Draftexpress.com and NBAdraft.net.

College Basketballs' Senior Bridesmaids: Honorable Mention
Sharaud Curry (Providence), Roderick Flemings (Hawaii), Johnathan Gibson (NMSU), David Kool (Western Michigan), Kelvin Lewis Houston, Kevin Porter (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi), Dewayne Reed (Auburn), Ryan Thompson (Rider), Ben Uzoh (Tulsa), Deonta Vaughn (Cincinnati).

Reference Links
Harvard University, "Jeremy Lin." http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mbkb/2009-10/bios/lin_jeremy.
The University of Houston, "Aubrey Coleman." http://www.uhcougars.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/coleman_aubrey00.html.
Iowa State University, "Marquis Gilstrap." http://www.cyclones.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10700&ATCLID=3721373,
The University of La Salle, "Rodney Green." http://www.goexplorers.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/green_rodney00.html.
Lousiana Tech University, "Kyle Gibson." http://www.latechsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/gibson_kyle00.html
The University of Massachusetts, "Ricky Harris." http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/harris_ricky00.html.
The University of Rhode Island, "Keith Cothran." http://www.gorhody.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/cothran_keith00.html.
The University of South Carolina, "Devan Downey." http://gamecocksonline.cstv.com/sports/m-'
baskbl/mtt/downey_devan00.html.
Tulsa University, "Jerome Jordan." http://www.tulsahurricane.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/jordan_jerome00.html
The University of Vermont, "Marqus Blakely." http://www.uvm.edu/~sportspr/mens_basketball/players/profile.php?sport=mens_basketball&player_id=535.