Cincinnati finished 12th in its second season in the Big 12 with a 7-13 conference record and 19-16 overall record. The Bearcats missed the NCAA Tournament and finished the year as KenPom’s 55th-ranked squad.
Cincinnati has been active in the transfer portal and has already signed several commitments, including Kerr Kriisa from Kentucky, Sencire Harris from West Virginia, and Jalen Haynes from George Mason. They have now secured another signing that could prove to be game-changing.
Cincinnati Adds Commitment From UCF Transfer Center Moustapha Thiam
Thiam is considered to be Cincinnati’s best signing so far.
The 7’2″, 235-pound freshman center averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game last season. He led the Big 12 in blocks with a 49.8% field goal percentage (29.1% from deep on 2.3 attempts per game.
NEWS: UCF transfer Moustapha Thiam, a 7-foot-2 center, has committed to Cincinnati, source told @On3sports.
The freshman big man averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game this season. https://t.co/w7l9uzvRJ1 pic.twitter.com/looP9tCNzV
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 21, 2025
Thiam has three years of college eligibility left,, and Cincinnati will welcome his elite rim protection abilities. He recorded 13 points, five rebounds, and two blocks against UC on 6-9 shooting in the Bearcats’ final game last season.
Thiam will almost certainly get a starting spot at Cincinnati. He’s expected to start at the number five position, with Jalen Haynes, Halvine Dzellat, and Tyler McKinley slotting in with him as current frontcourt options.
Before last season, Thiam was 247Sports.com’s No. 1-rated center. When he reclassified to enroll at UCF early, he was still ranked as the No. 7 center. He was UCF’s highest-rated basketball recruit when he signed.
Aziz Bandaogo was tasked with protecting Cincinnati’s rim, but he’s now exhausted his college eligibility and won’t be available for next season. Thiam is expected to fill those shoes, and by the look of things, it shouldn’t be big shoes for him to fill.
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Thiam had 88 blocks last season, substantially more than Bandaogo’s 50 and six off the UCF record set by 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall. He averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds for UCF in his freshman year. He also shot 50% from the field and 29% from the perimeter.
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