As I write this, the first regular season games are about to get underway, so it’s time to unleash our All-Big Ten first team to the masses. We’ve already released our third team and second team selections, along with our other various award winners this week. So now here’s the best five players in the league as voted by our five-man writing staff.
RTC All-Big Ten First Team
Branden Dawson, senior, Michigan State 6’6″, 225 lbs. (11.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 61.3 % FG). Dawson is now one of the top offensive options for the Spartans after largely playing a secondary role in his previous three seasons in East Lansing. After a breakout NCAA Tournament where he averaged 16 points and nine boards, it’s reasonable to believe that the Gary, Indiana native will produce more games like that as he steps into a much larger role. He has elite athleticism and the tools to be a force on the defensive end, and finishing in transition. If he can develop any consistency shooting the ball away from the basket, he could play himself into the lottery.
Branden Dawson (left) could be dominant for Michigan State in his final season in East Lansing. (Al Goldis/AP)
Terran Petteway, junior, Nebraska 6’6″, 215 lbs. (18.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 BPG). The rise of Petteway’s status as one of the best players in the Big Ten coincided with Nebraska becoming an NCAA Tournament team. The Texas Tech transfer was an unknown commodity for the most part until putting up 30 points against UMass. He then continued to pretty much score at will all season. He’s equally adept at taking the ball to the rim and oftentimes getting to the free throw line, or hitting shots from deep. Questionable decision-making and shot selection issues are about the only negatives to his game, but with the emerging talent around him, he should cut down the mistakes. This will lead to gaudy numbers, but better efficiency as the Cornhuskers look to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Caris Levert, junior, Michigan 6’7″, 200 lbs. (12.9 PPG, 2.9 APG, 40.8 % 3PT). LeVert was a bit part on the 2012-13 squad that was one win away from winning it all. He came on as a sophomore to become one of the most efficient scorers from the wing in the conference last season. With Nik Stauskas having moved on to the NBA, LeVert should take over as the primary scorer on a team with many question marks on the inside. He does more than score however, as he ranked in the top 15 in both assists and steals in the league as a sophomore. His length and wingspan help to bottle up shooters on the wing, and his 41 percent shooting from behind the arc make him one of the most complete players in the B1G.
Frank Kaminsky, senior, Wisconsin 7’0″, 234 lbs. (13.9 PPG, 1.7 BPG, 52.8 % FG). The journey from averaging 4.2 points in his sophomore season to putting up 43 in one game shows how much Kaminsky improved from his sophomore to his junior season. He became one of the best inside-out big men in the last 10-15 years, proving to be an ideal center for Bo Ryan’s swing offense. He needs to be a bit more tenacious on the glass, but he could become a Doug McDermott-like poster boy of the 2014-15 season if he continues to shine.
Sam Dekker, junior, Wisconsin 6’9″, 220 lbs. (12.4 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 46.9 % FG). By all accounts, Dekker absolutely crushed it this summer at the Lebron James Skills Academy that a good chunk of the best returning college players attend each summer. His shooting numbers fell off a bit last year, but he should be free to roam the baseline with teams sending extra defenders at Kaminsky. Look for Dekker to finally put everything together this season with his numbers spiking across the board.