BTN.com staff, October 29, 2014

The Big Ten basketball season – exhibition, that is – tips off Saturday afternoon, with Maryland hosting San Francisco State on BTN Plus (Subscribe here!).

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Before the action tips, the BTN.com team has compiled its preseason Big Ten Player Rankings. And it should come as no surprise that Frank Kaminsky is the unanimous No. 1 player.

Here's how this works: Tom Dienhart, Sean Merriman and Brent Yarina all submitted their top 10 lists, and players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, and so on. The 10 players with the highest total made the list.

See our first 2014-15 top 10 list below.

1. Frank Kaminksy, Wisconsin (30 votes) – 10, 10, 10. The best player on the Big Ten's best team.
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska (25) – 7, 9, 9. Prolific scorer who says he's worked on efficiency, turnovers.
3. Caris LeVert, Michigan (24) – 8, 8, 8. This is the next star in John Beilein's system.
4. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin (22) – 9, 6, 7. Has the game to be the best player on the best team.
5. Branden Dawson, Michigan State (14) – 4, 7, 3. It's Dawson's team now, and he'll be a stud if he stays healthy.
6. D.J. Newbill, Penn State (13) – 5, 3, 5. Even with Tim Frazier, this was one of the Big Ten's elite scorers.
7. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State (10) – 0, 4, 6. Stat-sheet stuffer who has chance to become a star.
8. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana (9) – 0, 5, 4. He and James Blackmon Jr. will be a fun backcourt to watch this year.
9. Aaron White, Iowa (8) – 6, 2, 0. He'll be the go-to guy now sans Devyn Marble.
10. A.J. Hammons, Purdue (3) – 0, 1, 2. Tantalizing prospect who has all the tools to be a stud.

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Here's how each of our guys voted.

TOM DIENHART
1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
2. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
3. Caris LeVert, Michigan
4. Terran Petteway, Nebraska
5. Aaron White, Iowa
6. D.J. Newbill, Penn State
7. Branden Dawson, Michigan State
8. Andre Hollins, Minnesota
9. Anthony Lee, Ohio State
10. D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State

SEAN MERRIMAN
1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska
3. Caris LeVert, Michigan
4. Branden Dawson, Michigan State
5. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
6. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
7. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
8. D.J. Newbill, Penn State
9. Aaron White, Iowa
10. A.J. Hammons, Purdue

BRENT YARINA
1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska
3. Caris LeVert, Michigan
4. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin
5. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State
6. D.J. Newbill, Penn State
7. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana
8. Branden Dawson, Michigan State
9. A.J. Hammons, Purdue
10. Shavon Shields, Nebraska