Illinois' Brad Underwood Describes What Makes Keaton Wagler So Effective

With all of the praise heaped on Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler throughout the months and weeks leading up to the 2025-26 campaign, there were certainly hopes that he would thrive in a catch-and-shoot role with some playmaking sprinkled in – and he has done exactly that through four games.

But the slim, 6-foot-6, 185-pound Wagler has also been quite adept in a different aspect: getting downhill and drawing whistles. He has taken at least six free throws in every game thus far, and is averaging 8.5 attempts per outing while converting at a healthy clip of 85.3 percent once he gets to the line.

#Illini highlights: freshman Keaton Wagler

The guard looks like prime Will Riley -- already

19 points & 6 rebounds. He takes GOOD shots: open threes and drives to the rim for layups. He was 9/11 from the free throw line

He could've won Big Ten Freshman of the Week, but David… pic.twitter.com/5YN4VolUuS
— Carson Gourdie (@GourdieReport) November 15, 2025

Brad Underwood on how Keaton Wagler excels at drawing fouls

“It’s something we knew he could do,” said Illini coach Brad Underwood on Wagler’s ability to get to the charity stripe. “He’s crafty. He’s got a great change of pace. He’s got really good size. He’s got the ability to get it up there with either hand. … When you stick your nose in there, a lot of good things happen. And he’s fearless and he’s got great, great patience in the paint. And then, really, both he and [David Mirkovic] have great footwork.”

For Wagler’s part, he says seeking out contact has been a part of his game since high school. Evidently, he has also made it a focus to translate it to this level.

“I think [in] my senior year of high school, I really adopted that, trying to get to the free-throw line, because that’s easy points,” said Wagler in the postgame press conference following Illinois’ win over Colgate – a game that saw Wagler attempt 11 free throws. "And people don’t look at me as someone who’s going to try to look for contact, but I play stronger than I look, and I think that’s a really good thing in my game. And just knowing that getting downhill and getting to the free-throw line is a time to get easy points for me and my team."

Wagler's composure is unprecedented for a freshman

Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives the ball against Colgate Raiders guard Ben Tweedy (6) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Still, it’s not just his shooting, playmaking and knack for drawing fouls that has been impressive, but it’s also Wagler’s level-headedness and composure – two abilities rarely attributed to a freshman. But Underwood says he can't fully express it, let alone take credit for it.

“If I figure that out, I’m going to write the book or the two pages or whatever it takes that defines that,” said Underwood on Wagler’s poise and ability to avoid getting sped up. “It’s a blessing. It’s God-given. I think it’s genetics. I think it’s an upbringing. I think it’s really good coaching. But as a former player back in the day, I know it’s uncomfortable sometimes when you see this, and he’s becoming a target for people – and he just doesn’t get sped up. And it’s a real gift. Very rare. I mean there’s not many that do that and can do that. It usually takes a while and he’s learning a new system, a new team. And he’s just handling it with great poise.”