EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam, one of the best available players left in the portal, has committed to Michigan, he told ESPN's Shams Charania on Friday.Thiam, a 7-foot-2 center, visited coach Dusty May and the reigning national champions earlier this week and had previously visited St. John's, Arkansas and Kansas. Other programs also pursued Thiam.The No. 11 overall player in ESPN's transfer rankings, Thiam was one of the top five players remaining in the portal.Down the stretch of his sophomore season, he began to show consistency to go with one of the highest ceilings of any big man on the market. After missing two games in February with a foot injury, Thiam averaged 18.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks over his final eight games -- including a three-game stretch in which he had 28 points and eight rebounds against Kansas, 21 points and 10 rebounds against Texas Tech, and 24 points and 15 rebounds against Oklahoma State.On the season, he averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 points and 1.6 blocks.Thiam, a Senegal native who was a top-30 recruit in the 2024 class, started his career with one season at UCF. In 34 games with the Knights, he averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.May has now landed three big men from the portal this spring, with Thiam joining J.P. Estrella (Tennessee) and Jalen Reed (LSU). The trio will help Michigan rebuild its frontcourt after the expected departures of projected first-round picks Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.The Wolverines also added five-star Brandon McCoy Jr. to their backcourt and are in pursuit of high-scoring Wake Forest transfer Juke Harris, who will also go through the NBA draft process.
