Moustapha Thiam visited Michigan earlier this week, giving the Wolverines another look at a center who could fit into a frontcourt that still is not settled. On3's Joe Tipton projected the 7-foot-2, 250-pound Thiam to land in Ann Arbor earlier this week.
Thiam, originally out of Senegal, played one season at UCF and one season at Cincinnati, starting every game for both programs. He built a reputation as an elite rim-protector with enough offense to matter on the other end, including a 46 percent mark from deep. Michigan's interest makes sense because Thiam would fit seamlessly with Morez Johnson Jr. and J.P. Estrella in the front court, just as Aday Mara did.
The timing matters because the transfer portal opened shortly after Michigan's win in the National Championship just two short weeks ago, and the school is still waiting on decisions from Mara, Johnson and a couple of other targets. The portal officially closed last night, but plenty remains to be sorted out as Michigan tries to finish its roster. That leaves Thiam as one more significant piece in a process that is far from over.
For Michigan, the next step is not hard to see: lock in the players it wants, then figure out how all of the size, shot-blocking and skill fits together before the new group has to take the floor.