As it stands, the Indiana Hoosiers would be lucky to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers have lost six of their last seven games, and Darian DeVries' first season in Bloomington has been a bumpy one. Indiana has struggled this season because of many reasons, but there is one fatal flaw of IU's roster that really sticks out.
Indiana's 2026 win total projection shows the Hoosiers are here to stay
Indiana's 2025-26 roster lacked size and consistent front court play. The Hoosiers did not have a true center, which is tough to do when playing in the Big Ten. Coaching his first season in Big Ten, DeVries admitted that he was surprised by the size and physicality of the bigs at the 4 and 5 spots in the conference. Addressing the front court is a top priority heading into Year 2 for DeVries, and there is one player on transfer watch who could be an ideal fit.
Cincinnati's Moustapha Thiam is a name to watch for IU if he hits the portal
On Friday, Cincinnati made the move to fire head coach Wes Miller after five seasons. Naturally, today's era of college athletics brings discussions of which players could potentially hit the portal when a coach is fired. Following Miller's departure, Moustapha Thiam is a name to keep an eye on for Hoosier fans.
Sources: Cincinnati is firing coach Wes Miller, who did not reach the NCAA Tournament in five season there, per me and @jeffborzello. Miller went 100-74 over five years, two in the AAC and three in the Big 12. pic.twitter.com/39axtR2VXn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) March 13, 2026
Thiam owns a massive 7'2" 250-pound frame, which would bring some much-needed size to Indiana's front court in 2026-27. Not having a true center limited Indiana on both sides of the floor, and Thiam could fill that void right away.
Thiam now has two collegiate seasons under his belt, and improved from his freshman season at UCF to his sophomore season at Cincinnati this past season. After averaging 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Knights in 2024-25, Thiam averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for the Bearcats in 2025-26. He also increased his shooting percentage from 49.8% to 52.5% and is averaging 2.1 blocks per game in his career.
Hailing from Dakar, Senegal, Thiam has started all 65 games he's played in and appears to be getting better and better as he prepares for his junior season. If he decides to test the portal waters, DeVries should give him a serious look. Getting more size and a true center is high on DeVries' list of priorities this offseason, and a player like Thiam could be just what he's looking for.
On top of needing size and help in the front court, Indiana has plenty of scoring production to replace for 2026-27. The Hoosiers are set to lose their top-five scorers heading into next season, which means DeVries and his staff have plenty of work to do in re-vamping IU's roster.