LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 24: Moustapha Thiam #52 of the Cincinnati Bearcats shoots the ball over Josiah Moseley #6 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the game at United Supermarkets Arena on February 24, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
The Michigan Wolverines are opening their college basketball season — and their national title defense — on Monday night.
They're taking on Oakland University, another school in the state of Michigan. The Wolverines have a lot of new players, and one debut was particularly anticipated: Moustapha Thiam.
Michigan fans will have to wait to see Thiam, though.
When they turned on the game, they saw that Thiam wasn't playing. It was definitely a bummer not to have the big center out there.
Thiam is out not due to injury but due to illness.
It's not clear exactly when illness might have popped up for Thiam, but it came at an unfortunate time for Michigan. Obviously, there are bigger games that Thiam could be missing, but sitting out the opener is no fun.
GettyLUBBOCK, TEXAS – FEBRUARY 24: Moustapha Thiam #52 of the Cincinnati Bearcats shoots the ball over Josiah Moseley #6 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the first half of the game at United Supermarkets Arena on February 24, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Thiam, a native of Senegal, transferred to Michigan for this season.
He played his first college basketball season at UCF in 2024-25. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game there.
Thiam then went to Cincinnati for 2025-26 and averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
He stands 7-foot-2 and is clearly a game-changing player for the Wolverines.
But they'll have to wait to see just how impactful he can be. Illness kept Thiam out of action in Monday's opener.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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