Illinois' Win at Nebraska Has College Basketball Experts Buzzing

Back in mid-December, Nebraska waltzed into Champaign and stole not just a win from Illinois but also the home squad’s pride. In the 50 days that have passed since, the Illini have been working relentlessly to prove that falter was an anomaly, purely the result of poor preparation and less-than-ideal circumstances.

Thanks to the higher powers that are the Big Ten scheduling poobahs, Illinois had another shot at Nebraska: Sunday's matchup in Lincoln, which pitted a much-improved, streaking (10 straight wins) Illini squad against a Cornhuskers group on the heels of a heartbreaking three-point loss at Michigan.

Each squad was battered and bruised (Illinois was down Kylan Boswell, among others, while Rienk Mast was clearly less than 100 percent for Nebraska), but both teams were more than capable.

Elite defense, Keaton Wagler power Illinois in huge road win at Nebraska

The Illini slowly crept out to a six-point lead late in the first half, but not before the Cornhuskers showcased their premier team skill – long-distance shooting – on a 14-2 run to give the home club a 39-33 lead at the break.

Then, as has been the case in practically every Illinois game since the turn of the New Year, lightning struck in the form of freshman guard Keaton Wagler.

After registering just five points in the first half, Wagler erupted for 23 second-half points, putting the Illini on his back and carrying them to the promised land – but not without the help of stingy team defense.

Illinois freshman Keaton Wagler's rise to college superstar is one of the best stories in college basketball ‼️

The freshman just went off against No.5 Nebraska 🔥

28 PTS | 7-15 FG | 4-9 3PT | 5 REB | 5 AST pic.twitter.com/PZ7hHJGglW
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) February 1, 2026

Illinois pushed all the right defensive buttons in the second half, fiercely defending the rim while holding Nebraska to just 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) from deep.

Three-point specialists Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous were doing their best Zvonimir Ivisic impressions, sending back shots (Davis had a block and Humrichous had two). Naturally, Big Z was doing Big Z things (blocked two shots and deterred a lot more.) And Andrej Stojakovic shadowed Nebraska’s Pryce Sandfort step for step like a ballroom dancer.

Highlights of our 78-69 Big Ten road win at No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. We notch back-to-back road game victories over top-5 opponents for the first time in program history. pic.twitter.com/7HQhaN4rpq
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 2, 2026

Mind you, these are the same Cornhuskers who visited Ann Arbor earlier in the week without two of their top three scorers and still led for 91 percent of that game (before letting it slip at the end).

Nebraska is, without a doubt, a top-10 team in the country. Yet Illinois just went into Lincoln, controlled the game for the vast majority of 40 minutes and walked out unscathed with its 11th straight victory.

To say the Illini haven’t caught the nation’s attention would be a massive mistruth. Just ask college hoops’ top pundits.

College basketball experts react to Illinois' win over Nebraska

Jan 21, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood greets fans as he enters the floor during pre-game introductions at State Farm Center in a matchup against the Maryland Terrapins.. Mandatory Credit: Fred Zwicky-Imagn Images | Fred Zwicky-Imagn Images

Andy Katz sees a high ceiling for Illinois

What a win for @IlliniMBB over @HuskerMBB in Lincoln. The Illini have two top 10 wins in a row (at Purdue) without injured Kylen Boswell. The Illini are a serious Big Ten title/Final Four contender.
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) February 1, 2026

ESPN's Jeff Borzello impressed by the star of the show: Keaton Wagler

FINAL: No. 9 Illinois 78, No. 5 Nebraska 69. In Lincoln.

Another remarkable performance from Keaton Wagler: 28 PTS, 5 REBS, 5 AST, 4-9 3PT — 23 coming in the second half.

Huge back-to-back weekends for Illinois after winning at Purdue last Saturday. pic.twitter.com/sCo6Ye1QCj
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) February 1, 2026

Illinois etching its name in the record books

Illinois just walked into Pinnacle Bank and became only the fifth team EVER to win two road games vs. top-five teams in an eight-day span.

I'll tell you who the other four are on tonight's Eye on College Basketball, which is going live in five minutes: https://t.co/AGyDExeEa4
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) February 1, 2026

Another hoops pundit sees a potential deep run in Illinois' future

When we’re talking about those “teams that can be there at the end” in CBB, if you previously didn’t have Illinois on that list, they should be on that list. The Illini have won 11 in a row with back-to-back weekend road victories at Purdue and Nebraska. So impressive.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 1, 2026

And, of course, Wagler continues to reel in the (much-deserved) love

The Keaton Wagler story is outstanding. He’s just superb. Can’t get over how great of a find it’s been by Brad Underwood.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) February 1, 2026

Find someone who supports you the way Jon Rothstein supports Jake Davis

Jake Davis. Glue Guy. https://t.co/fq21qHE316
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 1, 2026

Did 46 at Mackey not already have Wagler in the thick of the conversation?

Want to have a conversation about Big Ten Player of the Year?

It better include Keaton Wagler.

28, 5, and 5 today in Illinois' win at Nebraska.

Firmly in play with guys like Braden Smith, Jeremy Fears, and Yaxel Lendeborg. https://t.co/fq21qHE316
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) February 1, 2026