UNLV Runnin' Rebels Big Man Pape N'Diaye Transfers To Xavier

Former UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball player Pape N'Diaye decided to enter the transfer portal this offseason after the firing of former Rebels head coach Kevin Kruger. He has now found a new home with the Xavier Musketeers. The big man officially committed to his new team on Tuesday night.

7'0 Pape N'Diaye is the next Muskie, who played at UNLV as a freshman.

Excited to see what Pape & Pitino have in store 🤌🤌🤌 pic.twitter.com/yf9erULxPp
— Barstool Xavier (@XuBarstool) April 9, 2025

N'Diaye stands seven feet tall and hails from the Ivory Coast. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and ranked as the 97th overall player in his class. The star center was offered by a number of big-name schools, including the Kansas Jayhawks, UCF Knights, Boise State Broncos, and Xavier. After being spurned for UNLV, the Musketeers finally got their guy.

As a freshman last season with the Rebels, N'Diaye averaged 2.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game while playing 13.1 minutes per game. He still has three years of college eligibility left. The center has only scratched the surface of his potential and is viewed as a valuable asset because of his length and shot-blocking ability.

This is the fifth player that Xavier has wrangled in from the transfer portal. They have made significant moves this offseason and are now banking on N'Diaye being a key contributor moving forward both this year and for their long-term future.

Their new head coach, Richard Pitino, clearly has a vision of how he wants to build his program, and N'Diaye looks to be a big piece of that vision. He has now fully filled out his staff and looks to be putting the finishing touches on his roster before the transfer portal closes on April 22.

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