Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Top 10 Wings For 2014-2015

As a wing player in today's game you have to posses the ability to do countless thing on the court from locking down opposing players on the perimeter, to putting up points inside and out, and even take over the ball handling duties from time to time. Here's the top ten wings in the Big Ten conference this season:

Top 10 Wings In The Big Ten In 2014-15:

10. Vincent Edwards, Purdue

One of the biggest question for the Boilermakers is: Who is going to step-up help AJ Hammons on the offensive in of the court? One player that will give Purdue a spark is freshmen Vincent Edwards who should get a crack at the starting lineup at the beginning of the season. A Top 100 recruit, Edwards a freakishly gifted athlete that finish around and finish with authority. He attacks the rim on fastbreak and in the halfcourt very well and can finish through contact.

9. Kameron Chatman, Michigan

When Glenn Robinson III was starting for the Wolverines, Zak Irvin provided a great left off the bench as a freshmen knocking open shots and now with Irvin moving into the starting lineup and set for a breakout season, a newcomer in Kameron Chatman his a chance to follow in the footsteps of  Robinson III and Irvin. Playing that sixth man role, the sweet shooting left-hander can score in a variety of ways from long range to finishing at the rim and this simply elevating over defenders. Chatman, who was former Top 50 recruit, should be a great weapon coming off the bench for the Wolverines this season.

8. Carlos Morris, Minnesota

The Golden Gophers will be needing someone to fill the void of  Austin Hollins, who logged 12 points and 5 rebounds per game, and transfer Carlos Morris just might be that guy. Originally a Top 100 recruit committed to South Carolina, Morris averaged 13 points and 4 rebounds per contest last season for Chipola College. Morris at 6'6" is a athletic forward that can get to the rim and finish in addition to knocking down his fair share of threes when left open.

7. Victor Law, Northwestern

With Drew Crawford, who was a jack all trades for the Wildcats this last season, being gone, Northwestern retooled bringing into one of the best recruiting classes in the recent memory and headlining that exciting recruiting class is a Top 100 recruit  Victor Law. The 6'6" forward is great athlete and skilled that can knock down open shots who should get the start from jump straight giving him plenty of opportunity to produce early in his college.

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6. Jarrod Uthoff, Iowa

The Hawkeyes had one of the most potent offense in the entire nation this past season and their six man was a deadly shooter in Jarrod Uthoff. The junior can flat out shot the ball making 42 percent of his shot from behind the arc and standing 6'8" to go along with a high release he has no problem get his shot off when ever he pleases. Look for Uthoff number to improve dramatically as he should be insert into the starting lineup this season for Iowa.

5. Rayvonte Rice, Illinois

Players transferring from mid-majors to teams in the power six conferences has became somewhat of a trend of late and no one has done it better than Rayvonte Rice. In his first year with the Fighting Illini, Rice exceed expectations averaging 15 points and pulling 6 board per game. Now Rice doesn't have much of a shot to speak of but he is a straight-up bulldog over powering or blowing by must guards to get to the rim and finish. Illinois is going to go as far as Rice takes them.

4. Sam Dekker, Wisconsin

Coming into this past season everyone expected Sam Dekker to be the go-to option for the Badgers yet big man Frank Kaminsky stole the spotlight on the their way to the Final Four. Despite having his long range shooting taking dip shooting at only 32 percent, the junior forward made 55 percent of shots inside the arc while logging 12 points and six rebounds per contest.  Over the summer, Dekker was grown a bit from 6'7" to a reportedly 6'9" making him a mismatch problem for opposing teams as he can rise above smaller defenders and shoot over the top or put the ball on the floor verse bigger players. Look for a Dekker to play the three and a bit of the stretch four when Kaminsky or Nigel Hays are on the bench.

3. Denzel Valentine, Michigan State

With Travis Trace being a long range specialists and not your traditional playmaking point guard only logging barely two assists per game, the Spartans will look to the junior swingman Denzel Valentine to provide that playmaking ability as a point forward. Valentine as a great a feel for the game to go along with good vision which should make the game a easier for as teammates who besides Trace are unproven scorers. He also as a solid set shot out to three point range knocking down 37.7 percent of his threes this past season. With the core of Adreian Payne, Keith Appling and Gary Harris gone, Valentine may have to do a little bit of everything on the court for the Spartans this year.

2. Zak Irvin, Michigan

Wondering who's going to be this year's break through player this year in the Big Ten? Look no further than Michigan's sophomore sharpshooter Zak Irvin. During a trip to Italy this past summer, the 6'6" forward was just completely unconscious shooting the ball averaging 20.8 points to go along with 7.3 rebound per game while shooting at insane 66.7 percent from behind the arc and 81.3 percent from the field. Talk about efficiency. Irvin displayed his ability as a long range marksman last season dropping bombs at an impressive rate of 42.5 percent. Expect the sharpshooter to play a role similar to Glenn Robinson splitting time between the 3 and 4 positions and be the perfect sidekick to Caris LeVert in what maybe become one of the best one-two punch in the country.

1. Terran Petteway, Nebraska

On what just maybe the best team put together in the history of Nebraska basketball, Terran Petteway will be leading the way after coming off a breakout season last year where he logged 18 points per game for the Cornhuskers. The Big Ten Player of the Year candidate lead the conference in scoring and at times basically shoulder the offensive load having 12 games of 20 or more points. For this team to take the next step forward toward a Big Ten title, the 6'8" forward, who is a more than capable defender, will need to exert even more energy on the defensive end of the court and with more offensive help this may result in Petteway numbers taking a slight dip but that may not be a bad thing.