Big Ten Basketball: 10 most polarizing figures in Michigan-Michigan State rivalry

1. Moritz Wagner

In order to compile this countdown, I polled my Spartan and Wolverine friends about who they loved most from their own team and who they hated most from the other. There was one and only one name that was unanimous, and it was Mo. Maybe it’s a bit of recency bias, since he graduated last year, but there are definitely other attributes at play here that earned him the #1 spot in this countdown.

The first check box that Mo fills out: stay for at least three years in college, and be an impactful player in the process. During his junior season, Mo was elected a team captain, and led the Wolverines in scoring and to a 33-8 record, including finishing the season as the national runner-up in the NCAA tournament. When you make your team great, you’ll naturally be cherished by your own fan base and despised by your rivals.

Next, we have the fact that Mo had direct success against the archrival Spartans. During his final season donning the maize and blue, Wagner led Michigan to two double-digit victories over Michigan State, averaging 21 points and 6 boards along the way. He was also responsible for forever ruining the integrity of Nick Ward’s ankles.

The final thing that cannot go overlooked – the goofy facial expressions and mannerisms. Just like Nik Stauskas before him, Mo constantly had his tongue flopping outside his mouth like a dog with his head out a car window, and it didn’t stop there. He was never the most muscular specimen on the court, but that didn’t stop him from flexing and tapping his biceps after every single and-1 that went his way.

Put it all together, sprinkle in a little German, and when it’s finished, out will pop the most polarizing character of the past decade in this heated rivalry.