Things just haven’t been right for Cincinnati basketball since Mick Cronin left the program back in 2019. The Bearcats have not returned to the Big Dance since that year and are coming off another disappointing result. Wes Miller’s work with the program hasn’t been bad by any means these last four years, but tying for 12th in the Big 12 with the talent they had on last year’s roster is certainly underwhelming. It’s been a tough transition from AAC to Big 12 and it won’t get easier.
Much of that great talent won’t return, as the Bearcats saw nearly a dozen names leave via the transfer portal after the season. Familiar names like Aziz Bandaogo, Dillon Mitchell, and Daniel Skillings left town alongside nearly all of the Bearcats’ depth. Fortunately, leading scorer and rising star Jizzle James is back for his junior year while Day Day Thomas also returns, creating quite the formidable returning duo in the backcourt.
Reinforcements have come in many forms, as Miller and his staff hit the portal hard once again. Kerr Kriisa joins his latest team after last year’s work with Kentucky while Jalen Celestine comes from Baylor with high hopes himself. Former West Virginia guard Sencire Harris will hope to carve out an important role while Cincinnati also added some notable size, including George Mason forward Jalen Haynes as well as Baba Miller from Florida Atlantic.
The most notable and sizeable addition is clearly 7-2 center Moustapha Thiam and there are plenty of reasons to focus on him. A native of Senegal, Thiam schooled in Florida before attending UCF last season, with decent numbers in his freshman campaign. He put up 10.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while showing some semblance of an outside shot. Thiam actually led the Big 12 in blocks per game and finished 5th in the nation with his 88 on the season.
With major talent returning in the backcourt and a few notable pieces from the transfer portal, Cincinnati was going to need to make a big splash in the frontcourt, especially with those players like Bandaogo and Mitchell off to new schools. Clearly Thiam is a sizeable addition, known for his interior presence and already growing into an incredible athlete. He was one of the most talented centers available in the portal and becomes a major focal point for Cincinnati’s defense.
He’s already used to life in the Big 12, so the question remains how Thiam fits into Miller’s scheme and if he can take a measured step forward as a sophomore. When you’re already putting up those kinds of shotblocking figures, the attention goes towards Thiam’s offensive game. Can this great rebounder and blocker fare a bit better around the rim and further develop his outside shot after making 29% from 3 last season? He just might be that piece Cincinnati needs to finally get back to the Big Dance.