The 7-foot-2 Cincinnati center chose the reigning national champions over a dozen competing programs
Moustapha Thiam is heading to Ann Arbor. The 7-foot-2 center from Cincinnati committed to Michigan’s basketball program today, April 24, giving head coach Dusty May his third transfer portal addition this offseason and handing the reigning national champions one of the most coveted big men still available.
Thiam made his decision after a visit with May earlier in the week, a trip that was not even on the radar of most programs tracking him just days before it happened. Kansas and Arkansas were among the schools that had expressed serious interest. Michigan State had been pursuing him actively for weeks. When Thiam quietly scheduled a last-minute stop in Ann Arbor, it was a signal that most observers read correctly.
What Thiam brings to Michigan
Thiam is currently ranked 11th among all available transfer portal players by ESPN, and the film backs that up. His sophomore season at Cincinnati averaged 12.8 points and 1.6 blocks per game across the full year, but those numbers undersell what he became late in the season. After returning from a foot injury in February, Thiam put together three straight dominant outings, including a 28-point performance against Kansas. Over his final eight games, he averaged 18.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest.
Moustapha Thiam to Michigan
This conference is going to be a bloodbath again.. if you’re not loading up, you’re food
— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) April 24, 2026
Before Cincinnati, Thiam spent his freshman year at UCF, where he averaged more than 10 points and six rebounds per game while anchoring the Knights defensively with 2.6 blocks per night. The trajectory has been consistently upward, and Michigan has already seen him up close. May’s staff played an exhibition against Cincinnati before the season, where Thiam scored 15 points and made a clear impression on the coaching staff.
Standing at 7-foot-2 with the defensive instincts to anchor a paint and the offensive development to demand double teams, Thiam fits exactly the kind of frontcourt identity May has been building since taking over the program.
How the frontcourt is coming together
Thiam joins a Michigan frontcourt reconstruction that already includes J.P. Estrella from Tennessee and Jalen Reed from LSU. Both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. departed for professional opportunities following Michigan’s national championship run, leaving May with significant size to replace. The addition of three capable big men in one portal cycle suggests the Wolverines will not suffer for interior presence next season.
The backcourt is also being addressed. Five-star recruit Brandon McCoy Jr. is already committed, and Michigan is reportedly continuing conversations with Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris as the full roster picture takes shape.
What it means for the rest of the Big Ten
The ripple effects of Thiam’s decision land hardest on Michigan State. The Spartans had been among the most persistent suitors before Thiam pivoted toward Ann Arbor. Tom Izzo’s program now faces the added challenge of competing in the Big Ten against a player they genuinely wanted, playing for the program they need to catch.
Michigan currently holds significant momentum in a rivalry that swung heavily toward the Spartans just a year ago. Thiam’s commitment adds another chapter to that shift and puts additional pressure on what Michigan State needs to accomplish in 2026 to keep pace.
For Michigan, the message from this offseason is straightforward. Winning a national title did not slow the program down. If anything, it accelerated the ability to attract exactly the kind of talent Thiam represents.