Franz Wagner had his fingerprints all over Michigan’s 79-57 win over Iowa on Thursday. He relentlessly attacked the basket. He knocked in a couple of 3s. He grabbed some tough rebounds. He defended at a high level. He delivered several pretty assists.
It was a perfect mix of aggressiveness and finesse, and a reminder, with March approaching, that Wagner could become even more of a household name in a few weeks.
The sophomore scored a game-high 21 points against Iowa. He did it efficiently, going 9-for-12 from the field. He and Isaiah Livers, who have nearly identical usage and efficiency stats, have become a nightmare combo on the wing for opponents.
Wagner was terrific from the jump on Tuesday. Michigan’s second basket came when Wagner, working off a ball screen from Hunter Dickinson, drove and wrapped a pass around Luka Garza to Dickinson for a layup.
Wagner took over to start the second half, scoring nine of Michigan’s first 11 points as the Wolverines started to pull away.
“Once I had it going a little bit, Coach (Juwan Howard) ran a couple plays for me, and I think that gives a player a lot of confidence,” Wagner said.
As he’s done all season, Wagner showed an ability to extend his shooting arm and put the necessary spin on the ball to finish at the rim with either hand. He used the backboard on five of his made baskets, including a baseline drive late in the first half that Howard highlighted.
Asked about Wagner’s play, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was simple in his assessment, saying, in full: “He was driving the ball quite a bit.” Indeed.
“You know Franz’s competitive nature,” Livers said. “If he sees any type of gap, he will drive it.”
It’s helpful that Wagner got bigger and stronger in the offseason, starting the season at 226 pounds and just shy of 6-foot-10. “It’s harder for people to push me around when I’m driving to the basket,” Wagner said after the win. “(It’s) easier to (get to) my angles that I want to take to the basket.”
Early in the season, he didn’t know how to use his added muscle. “You saw me struggle with people taking charges and stuff. I’ve done a good job these last couple games of being controlled but still being in attack mode.”
Wagner averages 6.4 rebounds per game. He had just two on Thursday, but he stuck his nose into traffic to get them. He held Iowa’s Joe Wieskamp, who entered averaging 15 points per game, to 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting, contributing to Michigan’s Herculean defensive effort. Wagner also had four assists.
His passing skills didn’t necessarily show for a chunk of his freshman year. “We’ve got to get Franz better in ball-screen actions,” Howard recalled saying in a midseason coaches’ meeting. Wagner accepted the coaching and improved.
Perhaps the play of the game on Thursday came with a little more than 11 minutes left in the game. Livers and Wagner forced a turnover, and Wagner picked up the loose ball and led a fast break. He took four dribbles and had the vision, timing, and skill to deliver a bounce pass to Livers for an emphatic dunk.
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ESPN’s last NBA mock draft was published on Feb. 2, and Wagner was listed as the 20th pick. He certainly looks like a pro. He’s shooting 61 percent on 2-point shots, 38 percent from 3, and 82 percent from the foul line. He won’t turn 20 years old until Aug. 27.
It’s exciting to think about Wagner on the March Madness stage, especially since he, like every other college basketball player, was denied the opportunity last season. For now, he and the Wolverines are focused on finishing the regular season strong. Livers knows what Wagner means to Michigan.
“Franz, when he’s aggressive and he’s locked in, we definitely are the best team in the country,” Livers said. “When Franz is aggressive, we’re unbeatable.”
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