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Big 12 Basketball: Predicting who will be First-Team All-Big XII

By Matt Ostrowski

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Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Perry Ellis (34) controls the ball against Wichita State Shockers guard Evan Wessel (3) during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

F-Perry Ellis (Kansas)

F-Georges Niang (Iowa State)

I’m lumping these two together because they’re obvious picks, and they have been around for so long that it’s impossible to believe they’re even still in college. You know that guy that you see on TV and then think: “How on earth is he still in college?”. That’s Ellis and Niang for 75% of the country this year!

The NCAA really should create an award for this. Call it the “Holy cow this guy is still in college?” award. Let’s look at some of Niang and Ellis’ competition for such an award this year.

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    Pretty good list I would say! Should be some tough competition for that prestigious award this year.

    On an actual serious note, Ellis and Niang are both two of the most dynamic offensive players in the country.

    Niang possesses a versatility college basketball hasn’t seen since Draymond Green was around. Fred Hoiberg used to love to run his offense through him, having him make plays from the elbow or top of the key.

    It will be interesting to see if new Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm tweaks this at all.

    Ellis, on the other hand, is the Jayhawks’ number-one scoring option, whether their fans like it or not.

    He was overly-criticized by everyone last season, mostly because he always seems to go up very tentatively inside. The frustrations hit an all-time high with this end-game sequence:

    He then proceeded to shut everyone up in the next three games, averaging 25 points on almost 60% from the floor.

    Unfortunately, he got hurt in their final regular season game against West Virginia, and never quite looked the same.

    The Jayhawks are counting on him to be the February version of Perry Ellis that averaged over 19 points per game.

    Maybe that will shut everyone up.

    Next: Honorable Mentions

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