Wisconsin Basketball Reaches Out to Big Ten Transfer in the Portal

The Wisconsin Badgers basketball coaching staff has been active in their pursuit of frontcourt depth. Their latest transfer portal contact is one that they know pretty well — because the big man played in the Big Ten.

According to The Portal Report, the Badgers have expressed interest in Minnesota forward Pharrel Payne —  who has two years of eligibility remaining.

Texas Tech, Texas, Georgia, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Arkansas, Providence, Utah, Ole Miss, Illinois, Oregon, Florida, Georgetown, Butler, Iowa State, and many others are also involved.

Payne played two seasons for the Gophers, appearing in 62 games. This past season, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 10.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 60.2% from the field.

It’s widely known that the Wisconsin basketball team is in need of frontcourt depth after Tyler Wahl’s graduation and Gus Yalden’s decision to enter the transfer portal. Other options, such as Markus Ilver, Carter Gilmore, Nolan Winter, and Chris Hodges, are unlikely to fill a starting role opposite Steven Crowl, prompting the need to add someone to the mix.

The interesting thing to note about Payne is that he’s in a different mold than other Wisconsin Badgers forwards. Payne is an absolute load in the low post, a strong finisher around the rim, and a shot-blocking threat.

Wisconsin basketball coaches have also been in contact with several other big men through the portal, like David Skogman, William Kyle III, Mikeal Brown Jones, Toby Okani, and Malik Dia.

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