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Michigan Basketball: Moe Wagner will return to Ann Arbor for another season

By Lukas Harkins

Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Moritz Wagner (13) celebrates after defeating the Louisville Cardinals in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Moritz Wagner (13) celebrates after defeating the Louisville Cardinals in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Wednesday, Moritz Wagner announced that he would be taking his name out of consideration for the NBA Draft and come back to play at Michigan.

Although he waited until the day of the deadline to make a decision, Moe Wagner did make up his mind regarding the draft. Later in the day, his (former) teammate D.J. Wilson decided to stay in the NBA Draft, but the news of Wagner’s return is certainly a good one for the Wolverines.

As far as what his draft stock was at prior to his decision, it was likely that Wagner would have been a second round selection. Now that he is returning, though, he can be the go-to-guy for Michigan and potentially play his way into first round contention a year from now.

In 38 games last season, the 6’10” smooth shooting big man racked up 12.1 points per game and 4.2 rebounds. With his size, his 39.5% three-point percentage is extremely tantalizing as a possible stretch-four in the NBA in a few years.

For next year, he will be the focal point of a Michigan team looking to build off another NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016-17. The Big Ten will certainly be a strong conference once again thanks to teams like Michigan State and Minnesota, who are likely to start the season in the top-25. But with Wagner returning, Michigan could find a way to sneak into a preseason top-25 poll and could turn some heads with their offensive versatility and scoring ability.

Next: Biggest names returning to school in 2017-18

Could Moe Wagner be in contention to be an All-Big Ten selection next season? It will be difficult in a conference filled with talent in the frontcourt, but Wagner will be a huge part of a Michigan team looking to surprise and find a way into the top part of the conference.

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