Moe Wagner Does It All to Power Michigan to 2018 NCAA Championship Game

SAN ANTONIO — A few seconds earlier, Moe Wagner had watched his teammate Charles Matthews hammer in a dunk that increased Michigan's lead over Loyola-Chicago to 10 and all but locked in the Wolverines' Final Four win. And now, with less than two minutes remaining, and having already played 35 minutes, Wagner should have been on cruise control. Instead, Michigan's junior center accelerated once more, stretching his left hand out for a steal.

As the ball sprung loose, he chased it out of bounds but didn't stop. He stepped over broadcasters Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery and Grant Hill but didn't stop. Only a few steps later, feet below the court, as he passed press row, did he pause. He looked for a moment at the Michigan fans assembled over his shoulder and stretched his lips into that signature smile. And then he kept moving.

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It was that kind of night for Wagner: Even when he crashed, nothing could keep him down. (Raftery's glasses were the fall's only victim.) Wagner played 36 minutes in the national semifinal, shooting 62.5 percent from the field and racking up 24 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and three steals. It's not hyperbole to say that, without Wagner, the Wolverines would be booked on a flight back to Ann Arbor. Instead, they're celebrating a 69-57 win and advancing to Monday night's national championship game, where they'll face Villanova. And it's not hyperbole to say this either: Michigan will need another game like this from Wagner to take down the Wildcats and cut down the nets.

Before the game, Wagner had told his roommate, sophomore center Jon Teske, that something felt different. Wagner was nervous. Normally, before leaving the hotel for the arena on a road game, Wagner will watch Friends or jam out to the soundtrack of High School Musical. But on Saturday afternoon, after getting dressed and pacing around the room aimlessly, he decided to head downstairs 10 minutes early. "I was a little restless," Wagner said. "I wanted to get out there. If you prepare for a week for a game, I hate that. I want to play basketball."

And play basketball he did. In the first half, Wagner was Michigan's man. With Loyola switching on defense, Wagner often found himself with half a foot, or more, on his defenders. He connected on five of his eight field-goal attempts, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The rest of the Wolverines combined to shoot 4-of-23 for 11 points and collectively grabbed only 10 rebounds. His teammates took notice.

"In the first half when you look up at the scoreboard and you see [11] points and 11 rebounds, that just showed how much he hustled and how hard he worked," said senior guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. "Then you saw how many times he went into the stands. Moe wants it so much."

In the second half, the rest of the Wolverines wanted it just as much as Wagner. They shot 16-of-28 from the field and clawed their way back from an early 10-point deficit, outscoring the Ramblers 47-28. And fittingly, it was Wagner who dealt the dagger to the Ramblers: With the Wolverines up five with 3:03 remaining, Wagner was sweating swimming pools at the top of the key when he caught a pass and calmly sunk a three-pointer. A moment later, Loyola's rockstar chaplain, Sister Jean, was being wheeled into the tunnel.

All season, Wagner has been at the top of Michigan's opponents' scouting reports. A true stretch 5, he's 6'11" and shoots 39.6 percent from three. He's a drastically improved rebounder from a season ago, particularly on the defensive end, where he finished top 50 in the nation, per KenPom.com.

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"What's going to bless him in his career after he's done with college is rebounding," said Michigan coach John Beilein. "And that was not a strength with him. Now, for him to get 15 rebounds like he did, that's a great step for him. It's a work in progress."

Villanova has very few weaknesses, but among them is the fact that the Wildcats are only an average team on the glass. They ranked outside the top 100 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage, and they only have one traditional big man, redshirt freshman Omari Spellman, who is just 6'8". Wagner's ability to bring in rebounds and to work as effectively in the low post as he did on Saturday night could spell the difference between Michigan finishing its season as the national runner-up or the national champion.

Against Loyola, Wagner became just the third player in tournament history to record at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in the Final Four. But besides a passing "Wow," he didn't dwell on his place in history. Instead, at least five times, he humbly offered that he was just "trying to do my job." From the moment the buzzer sounded, that job became winning a national championship.

"I couldn't even [enjoy] this game yet," he said. "I've been talking to you guys [the media] for the last hour. Once we get back to the hotel and see all the fans, we'll enjoy this for a day. But like I said, as weird as it sounds, I'm just trying not to lose the last game."

As he left the locker room on Saturday night, Wagner spotted an NCAA golf cart. All week, they've served to shuttle players through the tunnels of the arena and to their various non-basketball obligations. "I'm definitely getting on there," he shouted. "I'm not walking."

Eric Gay/Associated Press/Associated Press

Later in the night he'd submerge himself in a cold tub and submit himself to a series of foam rolling and stretching exercises under the supervision of Michigan's strength and training staff. On Sunday, he'll repeat the same cycle, hoping to recover quickly enough to repeat his Saturday night performance on Monday.

"When you're at this point in the season, you can dig in and play well in a few extra minutes," said strength coach Jon Sanderson. "You have to will that. He had that will. He'll find it again one more time."

As Wagner sped away in the golf cart, he looked over the box score with Matthews. He saw all that he accomplished and let out a few little laughs before taking a turn toward serious again. Only one goal remained, and there wasn't a moment to waste. It was time to keep moving.