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Sam Dekker unsure of future; Nigel Hayes says he'll return to Wisconsin

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As we've said, last night was rough. Probably too rough to make multimillion-dollar decisions, but that was Sam Dekker's unenviable task last night.

The Wisconsin forward said he was unsure of his future, as he's projected to be a first-round and possible lottery pick in the NBA draft on June 25.

From Madison.com:

"I've just got to weigh my options and make a committed decision and go on from there," Dekker said. "I've just got to think about what's best for my future. Both options will be there. They've been there all along. You never know. You have to wake up tomorrow, go home with these guys and we'll go from there."

[...]

Draftexpress.com has Kaminsky going ahead of Dekker with the 10th overall pick to Miami. In that mock draft, Dekker would go to Phoenix with the 13th pick overall, still in lottery territory.

Dekker, however, said it was too early to say whether the impact of Monday's outcome would be a factor in his decision to stay for his senior year or go to the NBA.

"You can't really go by that," Dekker said. "That's a different entity in itself. Right now, I'm just worried about our team, getting home and thanking our fans and getting over this with my boys. Once we get back and get home, things will settle down and a decision will be made."

DraftExpress.com has an updated mock draft, with Frank Kaminsky still going No. 10 to Miami but Dekker going No. 15 to the Boston Celtics. Regardless, both players clearly have bright futures ahead.

Here's video of Dekker's post-game media appearance. He's obviously pretty broken up, so don't feel bad if you'd prefer to just keep on reading.

As for Nigel Hayes, the sophomore forward who took an incredible leap this season as a starter, he said he'll be back.

"You watched that game," Hayes said after scoring 13 points and grabbing just one rebound. "I'm nowhere near good enough to do anything but come back."

The Badgers are set to lose a ton of talent -- especially if Dekker jumps to the NBA -- no doubt about it. Kaminsky, Traevon Jackson, Josh Gasser and Duje Dukan will all graduate, and all four played critical roles in this season and the tournament runs.

But with Hayes, Bronson Koenig, a rapidly improving Zak Showalter, Vitto Brown and other developing players, the Badgers will certainly still be strong.