Best remaining fits in the transfer portal for Michigan basketball

CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 3: Moustapha Thiam #52 of the Cincinnati Bearcats shoots the ball against Keba Keita #13 of the BYU Cougars at Fifth Third Arena on March 3, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Things move quickly in the modern era of college basketball. The transfer portal opened shortly after Michigan’s win in the National Championship just two short weeks ago. It officially closed last night, but there is still plenty to be sorted out.

Michigan is still awaiting decisions from Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr. and a couple targets in the portal. However, now that we know who the available pool of players officially are, we can assess who the best fits remaining may be.

Here are the five best remaining fits.

C Moustapha Thiam, Cincinnati

Thiam visited Michigan earlier this week and would seem to be a direct replacement for Mara should he enter the NBA Draft. The fact he visited at all certainly indicates a Mara announcement could be coming soon. Moustapha is a 7-foot-2, 250-pound center originally out of Senegal. He played one season at UCF and one season at Cincinnati, where he started in every game for each.

Thiam is an elite rim-protector with a decent offensive game. He’s still a bit raw compared to Mara, but would fit seamlessly with Johnson (if he returns) and J.P. Estrella in the Michigan front court just as Mara did.

Thiam was projected to land at Michigan earlier this week by On3’s Joe Tipton as well.

C Franck Kepnang, Washington

The seemingly ageless Franck Kepnang was a part of the 2020 recruiting class, the same class as Cade Cunningham, Scottie Barnes, Nimari Burnett and others. Thanks to a litany of injuries, he still somehow has a year of eligibility left.

Franck spent two years at Oregon before playing four seasons at Washington. At 6-foot-11, Kepnang isn’t nearly as big as Thiam, but still displays an excellent rim-protection ability and rebounding game. He isn’t as much of an offensive threat as the other centers mentioned, but he would provide the rim protection that Dusty May desires at a minimum.