Five Stats That Defined Illinois' Statement Win Over Purdue

No. 11 Illinois (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten) went into West Lafayette without star guard Kylan Boswell and took down No. 4 Purdue (17-3, 7-2 Big Ten) by a final score of 88-82 to hand the Boilermakers their second straight loss. Here’s exactly how the Illini did it – explained by the numbers:

Five numbers that determined Illinois-Purdue

Keaton Wagler’s points: 46

Where else could we start? There aren’t enough words to describe Keaton Wagler’s performance on Saturday afternoon. Incredible? Spectacular? Neither of those quite encompass ... whatever that was. Dazzling? Prodigious? Take your pick.

It was all of those adjectives – and then some – rolled into one. The freshman guard Wagler went for 46 points on just 17 shots from the field while connecting on nine threes. They came on catch-and-shoots, pull-ups, step-backs, floaters, rim-attacks. It was dealer's choice out there.

Keaton Wagler scored the most points EVER by a visitor at Mackey 😱:

46 PTS
13-17 FG
9-11 3PT

WOW. pic.twitter.com/KVAd0B0W0A
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 24, 2026

Wagler scored at all three levels and scored extremely timely buckets, all but single-handedly pushing the Illini to their first win in Mackey Arena since 2020.

Purdue’s field-goal percentage: 56.9

As spectacular as Wagler was, Purdue senior guard Braden Smith was nearly as impressive. He went for 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting – mostly drilling unbelievably tough mid-range pull-ups, often over the outstretched arms of 6-foot-7 Andrej Stojakovic – and added 12 assists, against just one turnover.

Carving up the Illini defense all night long, Smith wormed his way into the paint and either scored himself, sprayed to shooters or found one of his big men for an open dunk or layup.

Smith is, hands down, the best offensive player in the country – and he showed exactly why on Saturday. That said, forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (12 points) was superb himself, hitting several incredibly difficult floaters, while guard Omer Mayer (11 points) was also brilliant. Everything that went up, it seemed, was destined to drop for Purdue on Saturday.

Illinois’ second-chance points: 18

Andrej Stojakovi — Jan 24, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Multiple Purdue Boilermakers and Illinois Fighting Illini reach for a rebound during the first half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

In the first half, the Illini stayed in the game for one reason: the offensive glass. (Well, that and Wagler.) Illinois coach Brad Underwood puts a heavy emphasis on the boards, and it paid off in West Lafayette.

Illinois parlayed 13 offensive boards into 18 second-chance points. Meanwhile, Purdue managed just 19 rebounds in the entire game – including just three offensive boards.

Purdue's turnover margin: plus-seven

Although the Illini dominated the boards, the Boilermakers were much more efficient with their possessions. Purdue, led by the safe-handed Smith, coughed up the rock just three total times in the game – a practically unfathomable number.

On the flip side, the Boilermakers forced 10 turnovers. That number doesn’t exactly jump off the charts, but considering they flipped that into 20 points, it was a clear difference-maker – one that (almost) made up for Purdue’s poor showing on the glass.

Wanna see @BoilerBall star Braden Smith's latest highlight play? 🙃

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/aRzGDnHg9F
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

Illinois’ made three-pointers: 18

Sometimes it’s just one of those nights (or afternoons). Jake Davis hit a shot fake into a side-step three as time expired on the shot clock. Wagler went 9-for-11 from long range.

David Mirkovic went 2-for-4 from deep, while Tomislav Ivisic went 2-for-5 – and each hit incredibly timely shots down the stretch. Ben Humrichous added a pair off the bench, and Illinois ultimately finished 18-for-38 (a scorching 47.4 percent) from beyond the arc.

No. 11 @IlliniMBB takes down No. 4 Purdue ‼️ pic.twitter.com/J5oIyQ2uga
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 24, 2026

The Illini get the long ball up at a (sometimes questionably) high clip, but on Saturday, we saw the reason why: Illinois is loaded with gifted shooters across the roster.

Last year, Underwood’s club lived and died by the three. This year, the Illini have done a much better job of picking and choosing when to launch. This outing was a perfect example of when letting it fly pays off.