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2013 forward Nigel Hayes verbally commits to Wisconsin

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan ecourages his team against the Syracuse Orange during the first half of their men's NCAA East Regional basketball game in Boston

Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bo Ryan ecourages his team against the Syracuse Orange during the first half of their men’s NCAA East Regional basketball game in Boston, Massachusetts, March 22, 2012. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

REUTERS

Wisconsin picked up a fifth verbal commitment in its 2013 class on Sunday night, as 6-7 forward Nigel Hayes (Toledo, OH/Whitmer HS) has decided to play for Bo Ryan.

The news was first reported by Reggie Rankin of ESPN.com, and Hayes picked the Badgers over Ohio State and Stanford.

Hayes joins a class headlined by point guard Bronson Koenig, and with three of Wisconsin’s five seniors being starters this is an important recruiting class for the program.

Jared Berggren, Mike Bruesewitz and Ryan Evans are all entering their final year of eligibility, and the hope is that the 2013 class will help fill in some of those gaps.

Joining Hayes and Koenig are forwards Vitto Brown and Riley Dearring and guard Jordan Hill.

Wisconsin worked hard to land Hayes and the effort paid off, capping what’s been a good day for the Badger program.

The Badgers won their 11th consecutive season opener on Sunday, as Berggren scored a team-high 19 points and Ben Brust posted a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) in the 84-47 win over Southeastern Louisiana.

Also of note in the victory was the return of Bruesewitz, who was expected to miss anywhere from four to six weeks due to a gruesome cut he suffered in a weight room accident last month.

Bruesewitz played 13 minutes on Sunday, scoring ten points and grabbing three rebounds.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.