Duke among a crowded list of suitors for another top Transfer Portal center

Jon Scheyer is doing his due diligence on a plethora of big men in the Transfer Portal.

It seemed like Duke's top option was Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga. He was set to take a visit to see the Blue Devils on Sunday, but he committed to Louisville instead. That has caused Scheyer to pivot, but Duke fans should fret not: there are a lot of talented big men available in the portal.

Duke has been linked to Alabama's Aiden Sherrell, but a new name has emerged for Scheyer that might be a better fit in his system than Sherrell.

According to Jeff Goodman, Duke is on the list for Cincinnati transfer center Moustapha Thiam, the No. 3-ranked center in the portal, according to 247.

Thiam played one season for Cincinnati after beginning his career at UCF.

Moustapha Thiam is another potential Patrick Ngongba replacement for Duke

Duke's need for an elite transfer center comes down to whether or not Patrick Ngongba is going to enter the NBA Draft. Ngongba had a breakout sophomore season and has positioned himself as a potential first-round pick. His injury past has made many believe that he will head to the NBA, but that's a decision that has yet to be made official.

If Ngongba leaves, Duke will have a major hole at center. 4-star Maxime Meyer is a talented player, but Scheyer won't want to ask too much out of a freshman big man.

Thiam is an intriguing option at 7-foot-2 and could anchor the middle of the Blue Devils' defense, perhaps even more successfully than Ngongba.

Thiam is a good defender and produced an impressive 6.8% block percentage during his sophomore season with the Bearcats. His freshman season at UCF was even more impressive at 9.1%.

He's also a good rebounder and has a lot of offensive tools. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this past season. He's not a -good- three-point shooter, but he's certainly a willing one, and would be more of a threat to stretch the floor than Ngongba was. He's a 29% three-point shooter, connecting on 38-of-131 attempts across two college seasons.

A Ngongba return remains the preference, but if he declares for the draft as expected, Thiam might be the best possible replacement available.