Jess Settles, BTN Basketball Analyst, December 8, 2014
It's Monday, and that means it's time to take a look at Jess Settles' latest Big Ten Player Rankings.
Who's on the move? Well, the biggest move this week is Wisconsin's Sam Dekker going from No. 5 to unranked, mostly the result of an ankle injury that has kept him off his game.
Taking Dekker's place is Ohio State freshman D'Angelo Russell.
See Settles' latest list below.
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1. Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin. The Big Ten's toughest matchup, Kaminsky scored 17 points in Wisconsin's loss vs. Duke and registered a double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) in a follow-up win at rival Marquette.
Last week: 1
2. Terran Petteway, Nebraska. Petteway erupted for 25 points in Nebraska?s rewarding win at Florida State and added 21 points in a home loss to rival Creighton. Thing is, he can?t get consistency out of his teammates on either end of the court.
Last week: 2
3. Caris LeVert, Michigan. An ugly home loss to NJIT exposed some Michigan weaknesses, but LeVert did his part with 32 points. He's also shooting 50 percent from 3-point land on the season.
Last week: 3
4. Yogi Ferrell, Indiana. The Hoosiers received a huge lift from center Emmitt Holt?s 15 points in their dominant win over Pitt. If Holt and fellow forward Hanner Mosquera-Perea continue to produce, Ferrell will continue to slice through defenses.
Last week: 4
5. D.J. Newbill, Penn State. Putting up big numbers is one thing. Leading Penn State to its best start since 2000-2001 is another. Back to the numbers: Newbill is averaging 23 points, 5.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.6 steals.
Last week: 5
6. James Blackmon Jr., Indiana. The pure shooter continues to play well and is still hitting over 54 percent of his 3-pointers. Amazingly, his 5.1 rebounds per game are second on the team. Can he keep this pace up against Louisville and Big Ten competition?
Last week: 8
7. Branden Dawson, Michigan State. I sat courtside for Michigan State's tough overtime loss at Notre Dame and watched Dawson snatch 18 rebounds. If he keeps that up, he?ll be back in the top 5 soon.
Last week: 9
8. Aaron White, Iowa. White has made 30 of his last 33 free-throw attempts. He went 10-10 from the line at North Carolina in arguably the biggest win of his career as the Hawkeye?s upset the No. 12 Tar Heels in the Dean Dome.
Last week: 7
9. Rayvonte Rice, Illinois. Entering last Saturday?s game against American, Rice was the only player in the country with at least 14 points, six rebounds, and one 3-pointer made in each game. His streak ended in the Illini?s victory over American. Rice was impressive with 22 points in a loss at No. 15 Miami in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Last week: 10
10. D'Angelo Russell, Ohio State. The explosive Russell leads the Buckeyes in scoring, averaging 18 points a game. He shook off early foul trouble in Ohio State's loss at talented Louisville to score 12 of his 17 points in the second half.
Last week: NR
Honorable mention: Sam Dekker, Wisconsin; Nigel Hayes, Andre Hollins, Minnesota; Shannon Scott, Ohio State; Wisconsin; Shavon Shields, Nebraska; Melo Trimble, Maryland; Denzel Valentine, Michigan State; Dez Wells (injured) Maryland