The Louisville Cardinals got a crushing update late Thursday night as Travis Branaham officially made his Crystal Ball prediction for Nate Ament, the consensus 5-star prospect.
Branaham predicted Ament would commit to the Tennessee Volunteers after this long-awaited recruiting battle. The Cardinals are one of five teams waiting for Ament's commitment, and at this point, every team has once been a favorite. The Cardinals were the favorite to land Ament back in February, but in the month leading up to April 1, the Cardinals were jumped by every other team, making them lose a lot of ground.
Well, now that the Cardinals most likely won't land this massive 5-star power forward, Louisville must head back to the transfer portal and try to find that last scholarship player.
2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic targets for Louisville basketball after Nate Ament's update
Louisville has already contacted a couple of players, but some they have not reached out to. The Cardinals are all set in the guard position, as they secured Isaac McKneely, Adrian Wooley, and Ryan Conwell earlier in this portal.
The Cardinals will now try to replace Nate Ament, go after an elite forward in the transfer portal, and grab that final piece for their National Championship quest. So, here are two dream, two reach, two realistic targets for the Louisville basketball team after the crushing Nate Ament update.
6. Dream - Moustapha Thiam
Louisville basketball has secured elite playmakers in the guards, but an area they haven't targeted is a 7-foot monster with an elite paint presence. Moustapha Thiam is a 7-foot-2, 235-pound center and was one of the best-ranked centers in the class of 2024.
According to 247Sports, the former 4-star center was ranked as high as the No. 8 center in the nation and the No. 43 overall player in his recruiting class. After his impressive freshman campaign, he is now a 4-star center in the portal and the best center available.
Thiam secured 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks with the Knights while shooting 49.8 percent from the floor. Louisville needs that elite rim protector, and after being one of the best last season in just his first year, Thiam emerges as the dream target.
The Cardinals got J' Vonne Hadley back and have some depth in the small forwards and guard areas, making the center position a glaring target. Last season, the UCF transfer secured three blocks or more in 11 games, including his impressive eight-block performance against Kansas State. Thiam almost secured a triple-double that game, finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and eight blocks.
He scored 10 or more in 19 games last season, including a four-game stretch of double-digitized points. It appears Thiam might commit to Cincinnati, but Kelsey and his staff must reach out to this elite 7-foot-2 center.
Related: Louisville basketball’s new No. 1 target is clear after Nate Ament update