Wisconsin basketball pursuing former Minnesota transfer forward

Wisconsin basketball has expressed interest in Minnesota transfer forward Pharrel Payne.

Payne entered the transfer portal on March 28 in what was called a huge loss for the Golden Gophers. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged 10 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks on 60% shooting as a sophomore in 2023-24, improving on nearly every stat from his productive freshman season.

Related: An early look at the Wisconsin basketball roster entering 2024-25

The up-and-coming forward scored nine points on 3 of 10 shooting in Wisconsin’s 61-59 win over Minnesota this season. His best performance was a 21-point, 11-rebound outburst in the Golden Gophers’ 81-70 win over Rutgers.

The Portal Report notes Wisconsin is among the schools that have expressed interest in Payne along with Texas Tech, Texas, Indiana, Syracuse, Iowa State and Illinois.

Greg Gard’s team has a vacancy at power forward after Tyler Wahl’s graduation. Payne is one of the several forwards Wisconsin is reportedly in pursuit of.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

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Story originally appeared on Badgers Wire