Cancun Challenge 2013: Top Players to Watch in Championship Game

The Wisconsin Badgers will be taking on the West Virginia Mountaineers this Wednesday at the 2013 Cancun Challenge championship game, and there are going to be a number of exciting players to watch for.

As the No. 10 team in the latest AP Top 25 poll, the Badgers enter this game with a perfect 7-0 record, including a big win over the Florida Gators.  Meanwhile, the Mountaineers are 5-1 with a loss to Virginia Tech, and this will clearly be their biggest test so far.

With a game like this, individual players will be asked to step up.  Below is a look at a couple of players to watch for each team, breaking down what makes them so interesting.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Juwan Staten, Guard

Playing in his second season with the Mountaineers, Juwan Staten has already made a big leap this year.

The former Dayton transfer is having a big year and has been asked to do a lot, averaging 35 minutes played per game.  He's been asked to run the offense for the majority of the game and has done a great job of it, putting up 7.8 assists and just 0.8 turnovers per game.

While Staten does a great job setting up his teammates, he also finds ways to put up points himself.  He's averaging 18.2 points per game, shooting 59 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from behind the arc.

As an all-around efficient floor general, Staten is exactly what West Virginia needed this season, and he will have to keep up this hot start in order for his team to keep up with the Badgers.

Eron Harris, Guard

As the team's leading scorer, it's safe to say that Eron Harris has truly become a star for the Mountaineers through the team's first six games, even as a sophomore.

Last year, Harris showed signs of real potential.  He scored 9.8 points per game, shooting 41.9 percent and 35.2 percent from downtown.  

Now, Harris has emerged as the team's go-to scorer.  He's averaging 20.2 points per game, making half of his shots from the floor and from behind the three-point line.  He's also added four rebounds and two assists per game.  His breakout game came against Duquesne, scoring 33 points in 35 minutes.

It seems that Harris is ready to become the team's star player, and if he can keep playing like he has been, there's a real possibility that he could be heading to the NBA in the next couple of years.

Wisconsin Badgers

Sam Dekker, Forward

While Sam Dekker looked very promising as a freshman, he's continuing to improve as a player, and he now looks like a serious contender to be a first-round pick in the NBA draft after this season.

Averaging 13.7 points per game, Dekker knows his role on the team as a versatile scorer on the wing.  He's certainly an efficient scorer, as he's making 50 percent of his shots and 34.8 percent of his three-pointers.  He's also racking up 4.6 rebounds per game, continuing to make plays down low.

While Dekker isn't the strongest of forwards, he understands his role as the shooter.  He's got terrific touch and is capable of making shots from pretty much anywhere on the floor, making him such an incredibly useful player in the Badgers' offensive scheme, and that will shine on Wednesday night.

Frank Kaminsky, Forward

If you didn't know who Frank Kaminsky was at the beginning of the season, you certainly weren't alone.  He averaged just 10.3 minutes per game last season, putting up just 4.2 points per game and doing little to make a major impact on the game.

Now, Kaminsky has blown up as a junior.  He's scoring 16.6 points per game, recording a 58.7 field-goal percentage and is making 50 percent of his shots from behind the arc.  

Of course, everyone is talking about how Kaminsky went off for 43 points last week against North Dakota, making 16 of his 19 shots.  He's been making plays ever since, including posting a nice 21-point performance against Oral Roberts.

Badgers fans are hoping that Kaminsky can break off another huge game on Wednesday, and he seems capable of doing it in any game.  He's 7'0'' and is capable of making long-range jumpers, giving him the tools to put up points in bunches.