Utah Valley transfer Aziz Bandaogo, ESPN’s No. 4 available player in the NCAA transfer portal, has committed to Cincinnati, he told ESPN Saturday.

Bandaogo is considered one of the top defensive players returning to college basketball, providing head coach Wes Miller a huge boost as he guides the Bearcats into their first season into the Big 12.

Bandaogo, a 7-foot junior from Senegal, averaged 11.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks, ranking as the third best shot-blocker in college basketball and being named WAC defensive player of the year. He helped Utah Valley make the NIT Final Four, where they lost to UAB.

An alumnus of the NBA Academy Africa, Bandaogo made huge strides in his junior season, playing just 14 total minutes as a freshman and then posting 2.7 points in 12 minutes as a sophomore at Akron, before emerging as one of the best big men in mid-major basketball as a junior.

His coach at Utah Valley last season, Mark Madsen, departed for Cal this offseason after his team’s outstanding season in which they went 28-9 (15-3 in conference).

Bandaogo’s size, mobility, rebounding and shot-blocking prowess should help him make an immediate impact in the Big 12 next season.

Bandaogo is the fourth transfer portal addition for Cincinnati this offseason, following Temple’s Jamille Reynolds, Kentucky’s CJ Fredrick and Butler’s Simas Lukosius. The Bearcats also reeled two ESPN top-100 recruits in Jizzle James and Rayvon Griffith.

Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and international teams.