Badger Bits

#SO to @NIGEL_HAYES, who was named one of 10 finalists for the Julius Erving Award today: https://t.co/mJgki20K0F pic.twitter.com/zrbmBQyDpm

— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 3, 2016

Congrats to Nigel Hayes for making the trimmed list of 10 finalists for the second annual Julius Erving Award. Joining Hayes on the list are LSU's freshman sensation Ben Simmons and national player of the year candidate Denzel Valentine of Michigan State. The seven remaining finalists are: DeAndre Bembry (St. Joseph's), Trevon Bluiett (Xavier), Dillon Brooks (Oregon), Brandon Ingram (Duke), Roosevelt Jones (Butler), Damion Lee (Louisville) and Wayne Selden (Kansas). A winner will be announced April 8 at the ESPN College Basketball Awards.

And your Spring 2016 #uwgrad speaker is...https://t.co/oMqyFEQrWy

— UW-Madison (@UWMadison) February 3, 2016

Despite how awkward this video was, this is an awesome idea. On Wisconsin!

Correction on the date of the #Badgers' Spring Game. It will be held on April 23 at Camp Randall. Time TBA. Tickets go on sale Wednesday.

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) February 1, 2016

See you there!

Congrats to @Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on being named 2016 Pro Bowl Offensive MVP. pic.twitter.com/OStQFhTAgA

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 1, 2016

Even when the game is meaningless, Russ is the best there is.

I'm a longhorn baby #Hookem #Believe #LetsRide pic.twitter.com/QWMMzCDe8z

— Lil'Jordan Humphrey (@LJ_Humphrey23) January 31, 2016

Southlake, Texas (Carroll), athlete Lil'Jordan Humphrey verbally committed to Texas over Wisconsin on Saturday night on NBC 5's "Inside High School Sports." The composite three-star recruit made a surprise official visit up to Madison last weekend. Badger247's Evan Flood reported on Saturday that the 6'5 Humphrey notified the UW coaching staff sometime around Thursday of his decision to verbally commit to the Longhorns.

MVP! MVP! MVP! pic.twitter.com/92QjSKcjlI

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) January 24, 2016

The former Badger picked off two passes—one from Joel Stave himself—to earn the defensive MVP honors and likely turned a few NFL heads in the process.

Speaking of Jordan Smith, he's been rewarded with a scholarship for his final semester with the #Badgers.

— Jim Polzin (@JimPolzinWSJ) January 19, 2016

Well deserved. Congratulations, Jordan!

UW-Madison, MATC say no to riding hoverboards on campus - https://t.co/mrLjbZvzVk https://t.co/sSnklei4mF #Madison #Wisconsin

— Madison Wisconsin (@MadisonWisconsi) January 8, 2016

Since skateboards and roller blades are already banned, this isn't terribly surprising. But using a reasoning of, "The hallways are crowded and we don’t want people running into others. We need to be concerned about that issue of safety and risk." is hilarious. Board carefully, my friends.

thanks ma pic.twitter.com/p8BIOg5Lwn

— Sam Dekker (@dekker) January 9, 2016

I found this to be thoroughly enjoyable. It's OK, Sam. We still love you.

#Badgers football: Former UW nose guard Tim Krumrie elected to College Football Hall of Fame https://t.co/Dfcysf1MT9 pic.twitter.com/T4kOSALzeI

— Badger Beat (@BadgerBeat) January 8, 2016

Well-deserved. Congratulations, Tim!

Dave Aranda getting a 3-YR deal from #LSU, starting at $1.3 MILLION a year & it escalates, source tells @FoxSports: https://t.co/I7yBH7qgRn

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 2, 2016

Yep, that's big money Dave Aranda is getting from LSU, which poached the defensive coordinator away from Wisconsin on Friday night. Bruce Feldman's report also has this intriguing nugget: "Also, if Les Miles does get let go, Aranda is not tied to that. He will still be taken care of financially, a source told FOX Sports." Good for Aranda -- he deserves this. In the meantime, we're thinking about who Wisconsin might tab to replace him.

ICYMI - #LSU starts new year strong, hires #Wisconsin's Dave Aranda as DC: https://t.co/I7yBH7HSfX

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 2, 2016

UPDATE: And now we know how much Aranda will be paid. As we've covered by now (first story here; Badgers' reactions here), LSU has hired away Dave Aranda from Wisconsin as the Tigers' next defensive coordinator. Badgers fans knew UW would likely lose Aranda at some point in the foreseeable future, but it seemed as though Aranda would spend at least one more year in Madison after a number of teams filled defensive coordinator openings with other candidates. A quick, and understandable, source of outrage for Wisconsin is the continuation of the storyline that UW just won't pay enough to keep top assistants in Madison. It first boiled up in Bret Bielema's last few years at Wisconsin and was also a perceived factor in Gary Andersen's surprise decision to bolt after two seasons. Now, Wisconsin fans are left with this nugget from Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman: "Aranda’s new deal with LSU will make him one of the highest-paid defensive coordinators in the country, a source told FOX Sports." We'll have much more on Aranda's departure, specifically the financial side of it, as quickly as possible.

Badger fans I hope your ready for the 2016 football season because I'm coming back!!!! #OnWisconsin

— Vince Biegel (@VinceBiegel) December 31, 2015

From the man himself, redshirt junior outside linebacker Vince Biegel tweeted he is returning to Wisconsin for the 2016 season. Biegel could be primed for another huge season, and paired with fellow outside linebackers Jack Cichy and T.J. Watt, the ceiling is high for both the position group and the Badgers' defense.

Great news for the Badgers! Per a report from the Arizona Republic, four-star offensive guard Kayden Lyles is expected to pay his senior year of football at a Madison-area high school. This could keep him committed far easier, though he is a legacy commit whose father, Kevin, played for UW in the 1990s and older brother, Kare', is an early enrollee this spring.

#Badgers redshirt freshman Caleb Kinlaw leaves program, along with walk-ons Aidan McNamara and Elijah Strong: https://t.co/g5wXvw5cFq

— Jason Galloway (@Jason_Galloway) December 29, 2015

The former three-star running back recruit will look for other opportunities, which was first reported by the Wisconsin State Journal's Jason Galloway. Good luck, Caleb.