Michigan coach John Beilein told media on Friday afternoon that junior center Moritz Wagner is a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against Detroit Mercy.
Wagner injured his right ankle in the second half of Tuesday’s win against Texas, rolling it on the foot of a Longhorn defender as he drove to the basket. Wagner exited the game immediately and didn’t return, entering the locker room for treatment.
After the game, Beilein told reporters that Wagner was “day-to-day” with a slight ankle sprain.
On Friday, he fielded more questions about the status of Michigan’s star big man.
“Today, (Wagner) did a little bit of stuff (at practice),” Beilein said when asked how Wagner was feeling. “He’s not at 100%, that’s for sure. I’ll wait and see how he feels tomorrow.”
Beilein remained non-commital when asked if Wagner would play Saturday.
“I don’t anticipate anything right now,” Beilein said. “I anticipate waiting to see how he feels like tomorrow, whether he’s out in warmups or whether he’s not in warmups.”
If he were deemed unable to play on Saturday, it would be the first time in his career at Michigan that he has missed a game due to injury. He has appeared in 43 consecutive games for the Wolverines dating back to the 2015-16 season.
Wagner’s absence would leave a hole in Michigan’s lineup, as he leads the team in points (15.6) and rebounds (7.6) per game. Sophomore center Jon Teske would slide into the starting role, with redshirt freshman center Austin Davis likely seeing an increase in minutes. Teske averages 11.2 minutes per game as Wagner’s primary backup, while Davis has appeared in just five games.