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Michigan basketball: Charles Matthews withdrawing from 2018 NBA Draft

By Zac Snyder

SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Charles Matthews #1 of the Michigan Wolverines goes up for a dunk in the second half against the Loyola Ramblers in the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow - Pool/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 31: Charles Matthews #1 of the Michigan Wolverines goes up for a dunk in the second half against the Loyola Ramblers in the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four semifinal game at the Alamodome on March 31, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow - Pool/Getty Images) /
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The Michigan basketball team will have one fewer loss to make up for with Charles Matthews deciding to withdraw from the 2018 NBA Draft to return to school.

The Michigan basketball team faced the possibility of losing two early entrants to the 2108 NBA Draft with Moe Wagner and Charles Matthews declaring following last season. Wagner, after testing the waters a year ago, was sure to be gone as soon as he declared but Matthews always seemed more likely to return.

And that is exactly what is happening.

Matthews and the school announced today that he will withdraw from the 2018 NBA Draft to returns to the Michigan Wolverines for his redshirt junior season.

Matthews offered the following statement via the Michigan athletic department press release announcing his return:

"“I am thankful for the assistance Coach Beilein and the staff have given me in order to gain as much information as possible before making this decision. They showed great confidence and patience with me while I sorted this all out,” said Matthews. “After much prayer and discussions with my family and the staff, I am excited to be returning to Michigan next year. I learned a lot throughout this process, but my main focus will now be completing my education at Michigan and leading my teammates to more success next season.”"

Matthews faced an uphill battle during the pre-draft evaluation period because he did not receive an invite to the NBA Combine in Chicago. Still, he was able to do some workouts and get feedback from NBA evaluators to make his decision on whether to stay in the draft or return to school.

Michigan heads into next season already needing to replace Moe Wagner, Duncan Robinson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman from last season’s national runner-up squad so Matthews’ return is big.

Next: 20 Best NBA Draft Picks from Michigan

After spending one season at Kentucky, Matthews sat out the 2016-2017 season due to transfer rules before playing last season at Michigan. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining but likely will face another NBA decision after next season.

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