The first of Pitt's starters who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal has found a new home.
Source: Pitt transfer Au'Diese Toney has committed to Arkansas.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 1, 2021
Au'Diese Toney is headed to Arkansas, a program headed by Eric Musselman that just lost to Baylor in the elite eight on Monday. The Razorbacks' Moses Moody whose 16.8 point average led the team and 5.8 rebounding average was second-most on the team, is set to be a lottery pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
That opens the door for a new star to emerge as the Razorbacks' leader in the 2021-2022 season. Toney averaged 14.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for Pitt this season, but couldn't outshine Justin Champagnie's averaging a double-double. Now he'll go to a program where he can compete for a leading role and potentially build off their recent success to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time next year.
Toney's departure was one of many blows to Jeff Capel's roster this offseason, coupled with fellow starters Xavier Johnson and Abdoul Karim Coulibaly, as well as Terrell Brown and Gerald Drumgoole all entering the portal. But Toney was the team's best two-way player among the group with his skills as a wing defender.
It took until his junior season to put it together, but Toney found a way to contribute as a scorer, rebounder and defender for Capel. He also lacked the high turnover rate exhibited by Johnson.
Capel will get to see Femi Odukale and Nike Sibande step up as better contributors next season, and maybe William Jeffress if he can become a consistent starter. Sibande led the group with eight starts, while Odukale had five and Jeffress four, with most of them coming towards the end of the season.
But Pitt will need to get active in the portal sometime soon. It's still just early April, but Pitt doesn't have a commitment from a transfer or a high school recruit.