Meet Keaton Wagler: 5 Things To Know About the Illinois Guard

Illinois fans endear him. Purdue fans fear him. The men’s college basketball season is ramping up with high-stakes games every night and the NCAA tournament just around the corner. In those key regular-season games, March Madness stars introduce themselves to the nation with magical moments and Cinderella runs. We’re teaching you about them before they become national heroes. Ahead of No. 5 Illinois at No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), let us help you get to know Keaton Wagler. 1. Player Build Wagler, a 6-foot-6 freshman point guard, is both the primary play-initiator and go-to scorer for the Fighting Illini. His tight, quick handle allows him to create room for his own shots and penetrate the lane to set up his teammates. 2. Instant Success Wagler leads all Big Ten freshman with 17.9 points per game. He set the record for the most points by an opponent in Purdue’s Mackey Arena when he scored 46 points to lift the Illini over the Boilermakers on Jan. 24. 3. Conference Accolades Wagler has earned both freshman and player of the week honors in the Big Ten after his breakout game against Purdue. Wagler has also lifted Illinois into a tie with No. 2 Michigan at the top of the conference standings. 4. Underrated Wagler was the No. 150 ranked recruit in the 2025 freshman class, per 247Sports. He only got two offers from Power 4 schools — Minnesota and Illinois. He’s now in the conversation to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 5. Blind Trust Wagler was the first American prospect Illinois coach Brad Underwood offered without seeing him play in high school in person, The Athletic reported. Underwood’s son, Tyler, an assistant coach at Illinois, scouted Wagler and convinced his father to recruit the guard. Underwood, reportedly, felt more comfortable trusting film after adding two overseas players — David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic, whom he didn’t see play live — to his roster.