Does Tom Izzo want Michigan State to be considered a blue blood and be considered on the same level as Duke, North Carolina, UConn, Kansas, and Kentucky in the transfer portal by being able to spend some money? If the answer is yes (it is), then he needs to be targeting some of these big-time transfer centers who have been hitting the portal over the past few days.
The transfer portal opened officially on Tuesday and new names continue to enter and that means more options for Izzo and the Spartans.
Izzo knows that he needs to get a big-time center to really take Michigan State’s roster to the next level and there have been really intriguing options like Somto Cyril, Aiden Sherrell, and Flory Bidunga who have hit the portal and would be ideal additions to Michigan State’s 2026-27 roster. Another one just hit the portal on Tuesday, hours after it opened.
According to reports, Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam entered the portal after spending the past two seasons with the Bearcats in the Big 12. This was a huge blow to Cincinnati’s new coaching staff after Wes Miller was fired in March. He was probably the most important piece to keep.
Now, he’s going to be a priority target for several blue bloods, and that should include Michigan State.
Moustapha Thiam is an obvious fit with Michigan State
Calling for Izzo to target all centers who hit the portal isn’t my goal, but whenever I see one that I truly think would be a great fit in East Lansing, I feel the need to share it.
Thiam is going to have a ton of potential suitors and he’s likely going to command a serious NIL bag, but Michigan State is going to have some money to spend — funds are not the issue. Izzo just needs to rip off the band-aid and spend a good chunk of change on a transfer at a top position of need. He might not want to do it, but Thiam would be more than worth the money.
The Cincinnati transfer stands 7-foot-2 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and a 9-foot-6 standing reach. Imagine Jeremy Fears tossing the ball up to that 4-5 times a game. He would be able to fill that Carson Cooper role, and then some. Thiam is a legit NBA prospect and he’ll likely be ranked highly in the portal but after watching Cooper this year and then looking at the transfer’s highlights, the fit would be perfect for the pick-and-roll offense.
Thiam averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game and he shot 52.5% from the floor and made 15 threes. Having a 7-foot-2 big man who can protect the rim, rebound, play a Cooper-type role, has an NBA body, and who can shoot threes would make MSU the national title favorite.