Michigan Basketball: 3 Things we learned from domination of Iowa

Franz Wagner has found another gear

Remember during the offseason when the Franz Wagner hype train got rolling? Some wondered if he could live up to it. Well, he’s doing that and more in my opinion.

Wagner started the year a little slow shooting the ball. But he found his game and in Big Ten play, he’s been nothing short of spectacular.

During conference play, Wagner is averaging 13.9 points per game and is shooting 53 percent from the field as well as 39 percent from deep. He’s also grabbed over six rebounds and dished out three assists, as well as getting 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.

Last night, Wagner’s offense was as good as it’s ever been. He was dominant in ball-screen situations, scoring the ball and creating for others. He finished with 21 points, made 2-of-3 from deep and made 9-for-12 overall from the field.

Iowa simply didn’t have anyone who could guard Wagner and that’s going to be a common theme in the next month or so. He can do it all and for my money, he’s the best two-way player in the Big Ten conference and he has to be working his way towards the lottery now.

If not, teams aren’t paying attention.

What’s really impressive though is that Wagner, the team’s best player, sat for a few minutes at the end of the Ohio State game cause Chaundee Brown was playing really well. That’s how deep this team is.

Oh, and last night, Isaiah Livers was out of this world shooting the ball. He made 4-of-5 shots from beyond the arc and scored 16 points or as much as any Hawkeye and barely gets mentioned.

Simply put, Michigan has three First-Team All-Big Ten caliber players in its starting five and last night was a perfect example of what that means on the floor. Others just can’t compete.