MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin men's basketball junior Nigel Hayes has been named one of 10 finalists for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Named after Hall of Famer and 11-time NBA All-Star Julius Erving, the annual honor is in its second year of recognizing the top small forwards in Division I men's college basketball. A national committee comprised of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 candidates in October and has now narrowed it to just 10.

Former teammate Sam Dekker was one of five finalists for the Julius Erving Award last year in its inaugural season.

Hayes entered 2015-16 as a preseason All-American selection and consensus All-Big Ten selection, and thus far the Toledo, Ohio, native has lived up to the billing. The Badgers' leading scoring, Hayes ranks in the top 15 in the Big Ten in all three major categories: points (fifth), rebounds (14th) and assists (13th).

Hayes is just one of two players in the Big Ten, along with Denzel Valentine of Michigan State, averaging at least 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring at 17.0 points per game, but is averaging an even more impressive 22.0 points per game over the last four games.

Making a concerted effort to attack the basket as of late, Hayes leads the Big Ten in free throws (133) and free throw attempts (178). His 178 free throw attempts ranks eighth in the NCAA this season, third among major conference players.

In March, five finalists will be presented to Mr. Erving and the Hall of Fame's selection committee for the 2016 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.  The winner of the 2016 Julius Erving Award will be presented at the ESPN College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's from Club Nokia in Los Angeles, CA on Friday, April 8, 2016. Broadcast information will be released at a later date.

Last season, Stanley Johnson of Arizona was named the inaugural winner of the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.