INDIANAPOLIS — He was very tall but very skinny, tilting the scale at more than 200 pounds, but just barely. That’s not very weighty for a guy who stands 6-foot-11.
That was Moritz Wagner, called “Moe’’ by everyone in and around Ann Arbor, a German from Berlin who arrived on campus last year and played in 30 games for Michigan, all off the bench. He looked like what he was, a project from Europe. Wagner averaged 2.9 points in 8.9 minutes a game. He attempted 12 3-point shots and made two of them. He got to the foul line 18 times, made 10 of ’em. No one was pleading for more Moe.
Wagner is a sophomore now and, because of him, the Wolverines haven’t put the basketballs away yet. He was the best player on the court in Sunday’s 73-69 NCAA Tournament second-round upset victory over Louisville and, if he continues to improve at such a breathless pace, there’s no telling how long Michigan will hang around as it heads to Kansas City for the Sweet 16.
Wagner took 14 shots and made 11 of them, scoring a career-high 26 points. Michigan’s unquestioned leader, point guard Derrick Walton Jr., made two big shots late but was only 3-of-13 in his laborious 36 minutes. Wagner filled that scoring void. He made a 3-pointer — he shot 40 percent behind the arc this season — and soon saw 6-3 Donovan Mitchell guarding him in the lane, the result of an unfortunate defensive switch by Louisville. Wagner asked for the ball, got it, spun around Mitchell and scored.
“Wagner is a great player,” Louisville forward Deng Adel said. “He’s very strong and has great size.”
Wagner, not yet fully grown but certainly filled out at 240 pounds, is 19 years old — he turns 20 on April 26. He’s started all 37 games and adds versatility to Michigan’s attack, which is not good news for opposing defenses. For years, it has been no secret that John Beilein teaches offense better than most, that his system is varied and challenging to stop.
He does not put players in boxes and ask them to execute in a confined space. In Wagner and D.J. Wilson, the Wolverines have a pair of towers — Wilson is 6-10 — who can post up, shoot 3-pointers, handle the ball and pass it. No wonder Wagner and Wilson are roommates. They have a great deal in common.
“We’ve very close,’’ Wagner said. “We work so much together. We do similar things. So it’s beautiful to see each other being successful.”
Wagner is now a bona fide NBA prospect, a big man with little-man skills, a near 7-footer who can play facing the basket. Unlike his idol, Dirk Nowitzki, Wagner is an emotional firebrand, pumping his fists, gesturing to the fans, screaming in joy as the buzzer sounded.
His rise mirrors that of his Wolverines, one of the most improbable March stories. They were 19-11 and late February and have won seven consecutive games, including four in four days to claim the Big Ten Conference tournament championship.
After disposing of second-seeded Louisville, Beilein squirted a water gun at his players in the locker room. That did nothing to dampen the spirits of Michigan’s surging Wolverines.