How Illinois' Andrej Stojakovic Compares to Other Julius Erving Award Candidates

Stojakovic is one of 10 candidates for an NCAA award given to the nation's best small forward. How do they all measure up?

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) at Madison Square Garden. | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Andrej Stojakovic has proven to be a crucial transfer portal addition for coach Brad Underwood, helping Illinois stay in the heat of the Big Ten title race at 10-1 (and 19-3 overall).

On Wednesday, Stojakovic was recognized for those efforts by being named one of 10 candidates for the Julius Erving Award, given to the nation's best small forward. The watch list will be cut to five finalists in mid-March, and the winner will be announced ahead of the Final Four, with an exact timeline to be announced.

Here's the full list of candidates, plus the case for and against each player.

Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) drives against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Harun Zrno (13) at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Stats: 13.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.5 TOs, 48.6 FG%, 24.6 3PT FG% (15-for-61), 83.1 FT%

The case for Stojakovic: He had big games in Quad 1 wins over Texas Tech, Ohio State and Iowa, keeping Illinois in contention for the Big Ten title and a No. 1 seed.

The case against Stojakovic: He has the worst three-point percentage on this list, including an 0-for-7 stretch over the Illini's past three games.

Tounde Yessoufou, Baylor

Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) drives against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Stats: 17.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 2.2 TOs, 47.6 FG%, 29.5 3PT FG% (31-for-105), 76.3 FT%

The case for Yessoufou: He leads the 10 candidates in steals as one of the nation's top perimeter defenders.

The case against Yessoufou: Baylor is 2-7 in Big 12 play, while other contenders are on some of the nation's best teams.

AJ Dybantsa, BYU

BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dribbles against the Arizona Wildcats at Marriott Center. | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

Stats: 23.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.8 TOs, 52.9 FG%, 32.9 3PT FG% (23-for-70), 76.1 FT%

The case for Dybantsa: He's the nation's second-leading scorer and is wildly efficient inside the three-point line

The case against Dybantsa: He averages more turnovers than anyone on this list and hasn't been a below average long-distance shooter.

Thomas Haugh, Florida

Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10) dribbles against the Auburn Tigers at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Stats: 17.6 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 1.7 TOs, 47.8 FG%, 34.7 3PT FG% (42-for-121), 73.7 FT%

The case for Haugh: He has a national championship pedigree, a well-rounded game and leads the SEC in minutes per game on the conference's second-place team.

The case against Haugh: He's 5.7 points per game shy of Dybantsa and has worse field-goal and free-throw percentages.

Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) celebrates a 3-point shot against Colorado at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Stats: 18.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 0.9 TOs, 55.0 FG%, 54.0 3PT FG% (88-for-163), 88.7 FT%

The case for Momcilovic: He leads the nation in three-point field goals and percentage.

The case against Momcilovic: His game is somewhat one-dimensional compared to other candidates.

Ryan Conwell, Louisville

Louisville Cardinals guard Ryan Conwell (3) drives against the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Petersen Events Center. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Stats: 19.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.7 TOs, 39.9 FG%, 35.8 3PT FG% (73-for-204), 83.1 FT5

The case for Conwell: He is second among candidates in scoring behind Dybantsa, but he has the upper hand in three-point percentage.

The case against Conwell: He has the lowest field-goal percentage on this list.

Coen Carr, Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans forward Coen Carr (55) dunks against the Michigan Wolverines at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. | Dale Young-Imagn Images

Stats: 11.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 1.5 TOs, 50.8 FG%, 27.7 3PT FG% (13-for-47), 57.9 FT%

The case for Carr: He's the nation's most electrifying dunker and a strong defender.

The case against Carr: He has the lowest scoring average on this list and isn't an especially dynamic offensive player

Nate Ament, Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers forward Nate Ament (10) brings the ball up court against the Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Stats: 17.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.5 TOs, 41.8 FG%, 31.1 3PT FG% (28-for-90), 76.5 FT%

The case for Ament: His numbers are better in SEC play than non-conference action, including averaging 24.5 points during Tennessee's ongoing four-game win streak.

The case against Ament: He has the second-lowest field-goal percentage on this list.

Dailyn Swain, Texas

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) handles the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Stats: 17.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.7 TOs, 57.7 FG%, 31.7 3PT FG% (20-for-63), 79.3 FT%

The case for Swain: From scoring to rebounding, assists and steals, he impacts the game in a variety of ways, as greatly as anyone listed.

The case against Swain: His three highest-scoring games have come in losses to unranked opponents in Mississippi State, Auburn and Kentucky.

Chad Baker-Mazara, USC

Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Stats: 18.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 2.4 TOs, 43.7 FG%, 36.7 3PT FG% (51-for-139), 90.5 FT%

The case for Baker-Mazara: He stepped up in a huge way after Rodney Rice's injury, taking over for Rice as USC's leading scorer and keeping the Trojans in NCAA Tournament contention.

The case against Baker-Mazara: He left Tuesday's game after suffering what appeared to be a serious knee injury.

Illinois on SI's pick

If the award were handed out today, we'd vote for Dybantsa. He's the nation's second-leading scorer while also contributing meaningfully on the glass and as a playmaker with 3.5 assists per game – most among Erving Award candidates.

But don't count out Haugh, especially if Florida overtakes Texas A&M for the SEC title and BYU continues to fade. Momcilovic also warrants consideration as the nation's best three-point shooter and the leading scorer on a top-10 team.

Stojakovic doesn't have much of a shot at winning this award as things stand, but he can still play a key role in Illinois' pursuit of a Big Ten title – something Illinois fans would almost certainly prefer over an individual accolade.