Their college careers might be almost over, but that doesn't mean their playing days have to be. There are a handful of seniors playing for Indiana, Kansas, Maryland and Oklahoma who could easily be competing for a roster spot in the NBA next fall. What, you think seniors don't have much of a chance in this day of young 'uns and "upsides"? Just ask old man Battier who's tearing up the league as the second most productive rookie. He's grateful for every one of his four years at Duke -- and so are the Grizzlies.

"I think that he's proved a lot of people wrong about who was picked ahead of him," Nuggets assistant general manager David Fredman said. "He was going to make himself a good player because of his approach to the game. But even looking back further from Battier to Tim Duncan and players like that, obviously there is something to be said for the finished product. We just don't have enough of them to choose from, at least from first appearance."

So take a good hard look at the seniors this weekend, but don't just take our word for it. We solicited the opinions of some people who will have the most influence over who their team selects in the draft and invites to training camp. The following is their opinions on the prospects of the seniors in this year's Final Four:

Baxter

Lonny Baxter, Maryland
Forward (6-8, 230 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	29	28.9	15.2	8.2	0.8	2.2	1/2.7	1.0	1.9	3.0	.544	.603	.000	1.48

Rob Babcock, Minnesota Timberwolves Director of Player Personnel: "Lonny is an undersized center. He's going to have to show some more range offensively because he's too small to play against the centers in the NBA. He's a banger and is very physically aggressive. I'd like to see if he can do more away from the basket. He's not really as skilled as you would like to see. His style of play is more like a center, where he stays down on the block."

David Fredman, Denver Nuggets Assistant General Manager: "He's a big body. He has put up terrific numbers in the tournament. He's a little undersized for classic power forward, but his bulk might make up for his lack of height. He can score in the low post and create space for himself. He's going to get a chance at playing in the NBA, but he's going to need to improve his outside shooting to take bigger players out on the floor. He is a proven very good low post scorer."

Boschee

Jeff Boschee, Kansas
Guard (6-1, 185 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	32	30.7	13.4	2.8	2.4	0.9	2.7/1	1.3	0.1	2.1	.474	.786	.465	1.39

Babcock: "Kansas probably has the most prospects, but the majority of them are underclassmen and could return next year. Jeff Boschee is not a great prospect because he's a two guard in a point guard's body. He's not as quick as you'd like to see a point guard to be and he's not big enough to be a two guard. He shoots the ball very well though and he's a tough kid. He's got good skills."

Fredman: "Boschee is a very good shooter. He's also a little undersized for a shooting guard, but he's one of the top shooters in college basketball. With his shooting ability he'll get a chance to see if he can become a point guard in the NBA. I think you'll see more zones in the NBA during the playoffs and that kind of defense lets you go with smaller guards. For instance, Dallas is showing they can play two small guards. Also, there are very few shooters and shooters are at a premium. So Boschee will definitely get a look."

Dixon

Juan Dixon, Maryland
Guard (6-3, 164 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	30	33.0	19.3	4.8	2.8	2.4	1.2/1	2.7	0.2	2.0	.453	.903	.370	1.32

Babcock: "Juan Dixon is just a really good all-around guard. He's a little bit small and lightweight for a two guard. At the two guard in the NBA, he's going to be matched up against guys who outweigh him by 40-60 pounds. For example, if he was playing against us, he'd be defending Wally Szczerbiak who's 245. That's an incredible weight advantage. Dixon does have point guard skiills. He gets a lot of rebounds, a lot of loose balls and grabs a lot of steals. He can beat you in a lot of ways. He's a good player and a guy who you can use on a team, but is he big enough to be able to play? He's got a thin frame and he's not going to gain a whole lot of weight. Does he know how to use it and use his quickness to avoid weight mismatches?"

Fredman: "He has speed and quickness. I think he set the all-time record for steals at Maryland and has never fouled out of a game, which says a lot for his abilities and instincts. I think he's going to be a guy who can come in and might be able to play two positions in the NBA. He plays mainly the offguard in college, but he can handle the ball pretty well, is a pretty good passer and has the mental toughness to make the switch."

Fife

Dane Fife, Indiana
Guard (6-4, 200 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	31	32.4	8.9	2.7	2.4	1.8	1.3/1	1.5	0.2	2.6	.458	.718	.455	1.31

Babcock: "Dane Fife is a marginal prospect. He's a nice college player and will get invited to camp, but he's a longshot to be drafted."

Fredman: "I think you always have to take an extra look at guys who can shoot and he proved last week he can shoot. You have to guard him out on the perimeter. Shooters find a way to extend their career, whether it's in the NBDL or the CBA or overseas. I think he'll definitely have the opportunity to keep playing basketball next year."

McGhee

Aaron McGhee, Oklahoma
Forward (6-8, 250 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	31	27.8	15.0	7.8	1.1	1.5	1/1.4	0.5	0.8	2.5	.447	.814	.321	1.25

Babcock: "McGhee is an interesting player. He's a big, strong kid and he's left-handed, which always helps to get shots off. He will batter you and be physical inside, but at the same time, he has pretty good range in his shots. He can hit the three and shoots free throws pretty well. He's the same size as Baxter, but he can step out and shoot from the perimeter pretty well. That's a big plus for him. He's a four man and he'll be matched up against quicker forwards at that position. It will be interesting to watch him in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and see how he matches up defensively."

Fredman: "McGhee's stock's rising a little bit. He might be a little undersized as a power forward, but he is tenacious in the way he plays and rebounds. He has made improvement in his perimeter game. The best things about him is that he plays hard and has very high intensity. I've never met a coach yet who didn't like a guy who plays hard."

Mouton

Byron Mouton, Maryland
Guard (6-6, 215 lbs.)

Season Averages
YR	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	TO	A/T	STL	BLK	PF	FG%	FT%	3P%	PPS
2002	30	28.1	12.0	5.0	2.1	1.4	1.6/1	0.9	0.2	2.3	.485	.741	.264	1.33

Babcock: "He plays more like a forward right now and will need to be a two guard in the NBA. I've seen him shoot the ball well, but he's also a little streaky. He needs to develop his ball-handling skills and his guard skills. We'll take a good look at him at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, where he'll probably be matched up against guards."

Fredman: "Mouton is an interesting guy who maybe the NBA game might suit his slashing style of player better than the college game has. He has a strong body and will get ample looks for a chance at the NBA. His strengths are his athleticism, he can get to the basket and he can create shots for himself."