Wisconsin Basketball Contacts Belmont Forward in the Transfer Portal

Originally posted on Badger Notes | By Christian Borman | Last updated 3/26/24

Greg Gard and the Wisconsin basketball team remain active in the transfer portal. The Badgers have been in contact with multiple players in the portal including high school teammates of Chucky Hepburn, Frankie Fidler (Omaha), and William Kyle III (South Dakota State).

The Wisconsin basketball team is casting a wide net to replace Tyler Wahl.

The latest name the Badgers have been in contact with is sophomore forward Malik Dia, from Belmont University. Before Belmont, Dia played his freshman season at Vanderbilt.

Joe Tipton of On3 reported that Dia is entering the transfer portal while also testing the NBA waters but listed the Badgers as one of the teams that have been in contact with the 6-foot-9 forward.

NEWS: Belmont forward Malik Dia plans to enter the transfer portal and will also test the NBA waters, he tells @On3sports.

The 6-9 sophomore averaged 16.9 PPG in only 23 mins per game this season. https://t.co/rzZr73gGuq pic.twitter.com/HwfE5uPxYM

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 16, 2024

Wisconsin Basketball One of Many Teams to Contact Malik Dia

During his sophomore season, Dia earned Third-Team All-MVC honors while leading the Bruins in scoring, putting up 16.9 points per game. He also added in almost six rebounds per game.

With the numbers Dia put up, there is going to be no shortage of suitors for the 6-9 forward.

Dia does a majority of his work inside the arc. This past season 47.7% of his shots at the rim, according to HoopMath. He hit almost 66% of his shots at the rim. The Wisconsin basketball team struggled to finish at the rim this season, shooting just 59.6% as a team. Dia would surely help the Badgers in that regard.

He can also shoot from the outside. 30% of his shots came from three-point range, while he hit 34.1% from deep.

His passing is something that stands out from his transfer highlights. We know the Badgers love to get the ball in the post. Dia would thrive down there, but he’s also a willing passer while in the post. The Badgers are effective when they can cut off the post. A guy like Dia would allow the Wisconsin basketball team to continue to do that with his passing ability.

The Badgers continue to be active in the transfer portal. With no obvious successor to Wahl with the possibility of losing AJ Storr leaves some holes in the Badgers’ rotation heading into next season.

This article first appeared on Badger Notes and was syndicated with permission.

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