How Keaton Wagler Delivered a 46-Point Masterclass in Illinois' Win Over Purdue

How did Keaton Wagler do it? Forty-six points on 17 shots. His performance at Purdue on Saturday was (literally) unprecedented within the walls of historic Mackey Arena. With the freshman phenom leading the charge, Illinois stole a huge 88-82 victory over No. 4 Purdue to improve to 17-3 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play.

Although it's hard to fathom Wagler’s otherworldly display, he was his usual self – cool as a cucumber – after the game, explaining to the press how he went off for his unforgettable performance.

Keaton Wagler breaks down his historic 46-point performance at Purdue

No opposing player had ever scored so many points in Purdue's building, and Wagler's 46 was the most in a road win over any top-10 opponent in AP poll history. His nine three-pointers set a new Illinois record. How on Earth did he make it happen?

“The switches really opened a lot of space, especially with our bigs being able to shoot as well as they can," Wagler told the media after the game. "It just allowed me to have a lot of space to try to create. And then, first bucket, just getting to the basket. And then they started playing off, just knocking down shots."

All due respect to Wagler, but his memory seems a little fuzzy after his 39 minutes of all-out exertion. Purdue wasn’t exactly “playing off” him. In fact, the Boilermakers had the outstretched arms of their big men – either Oscar Cluff, Trey Kaufman-Renn or Daniel Jacobsen – stabbing at every one of his shots. It just didn’t matter.

The Boilermakers' game plan was clear: switch everything, sit in the gaps and force Wagler (and the rest of the Illini) to beat them one-on-one. Wrong choice, Matt Painter.

Matt Painter on Purdue's game plan vs. Illinois and Keaton Wagler

In the Purdue coach's defense, the Boilers' approach to bottling up Wagler was still probably their best option.

“And that’s something we talked about," Painter said after the game. "Do we play out of a drop [coverage] there and just veer back to it? And he’s just going to dribble back and play one-on-one basketball.

“Or do we hedge it, get the ball out of his hands and now we’re in our rotations? So what you saw at the end of the game is what we adjusted and did. And then you obviously see now we’re in scramble mode. And so now you’re in those rotations. So we wanted to stay out of those rotations and then play him and try to be in gaps.”

And that’s what truly sets Wagler apart. It isn’t just the shooting and scoring ability – which, evident by Saturday afternoon, he has in spades; it’s his decision-making. Later, Purdue switches to a hard hedge, forcing the ball out of Wagler’s hands. What does he do? Assesses, processes and continues making the right decision. Every single time.

“They started putting two on the ball, trying to get the ball [out] of my hands, and I just got the ball out quick," Wagler said. "[I] found our bigs and shooters had space, and they made some big-time shots – especially late-clock shots. They knocked them down."

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 may not have described it as a flow state himself, but he achieved it Saturday if anyone ever has. He wasn’t overthinking, he wasn’t forcing. Wagler was just hooping. He connected on heavily contested shot after heavily contested shot. He got downhill and finished at the rack. The 6-foot-6 guard hit a push floater late in the second half. Wagler drew fouls, going 11-for-13 from the free-throw line. He was simply unstoppable. Step up, he goes by. Give him a cushion, he smacks a three in your face. Send two at him, he hits an open teammate.

“It was just how the game was flowing. … I missed my first three, then I came back and I hit like three in a row [and] got to the foul line," Wagler said. "And that’s just how the game was flowing. But then in the second half, it stayed that way."

So, what was the answer for Wagler? Well, Purdue tried just about everything. Just ask Painter – who is perhaps the best problem solver in the game.

“We went to hedging and doing some different things. We actually tried to deny him a couple times and not get the ball back,” Painter said. “Then he just back-cut us and got there, and that got us into a rotation. So the high, heavy hedges gets us into a rotation. The denying, and when he back-cuts, gets us into a rotation. And we wanted to stay out of that.”

Wagler is a complete player. And, sure, we already knew he was really good. But on Saturday, he made it abundantly clear that he's even more than that. He’s best-player-on-a-national-championship-contender good. Those are now the stakes – for both Wagler and the Illini.