Wisconsin basketball transfer target, former Minnesota forward commits to SEC school

Another transfer target off the board for Greg Gard and his staff

Wisconsin Badgers transfer portal target Pharrel Payne committed to Texas A&M on Tuesday.

Wisconsin had expressed interest in the former Minnesota forward after he entered the transfer portal on March 28. His departure was considered a big loss for a Minnesota program that is looking for momentum under head coach Ben Johnson — though Payne wasn’t its only big loss of the offseason.

Related: An updated list of Wisconsin basketball’s transfer portal targets

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.

Greg Gard and his staff are still in search for a replacement for departed senior forward Tyler Wahl. Payne would have filled that criteria and been a terrific option for the Badgers.

That search will now have to continue after the forward became the latest in a long line of Wisconsin’s transfer targets to commit elsewhere.

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