Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg Puts Illinois' Keaton Wagler in Rare Air

Over the past week, Keaton Wagler has leapt from well-known commodity in the state of Illinois to a household name across the college hoops landscape. The Illinois freshman exploded for 46 points in a win at Purdue last weekend before following that up with a 22-point, eight-assist showing in a win against Washington on Thursday.

Another superhuman performance from Wagler was a non-negotiable on Sunday afternoon. Facing No. 5 Nebraska in Lincoln, the Illini needed another marquee performance from their stud guard. After 20 minutes, it seemed as though they weren’t going to get it.

With just five points on 2-for-9 shooting in the first half, Wagler was out of sync – and Illinois followed suit, trailing 39-33 at the break. But the unfazed and always-poised Wagler quickly found his footing.

Although it was the Illini defense that stole the show in the second half, Wagler’s offensive showing – which included 23 big second-frame points – provided Illinois the spark it needed to parlay that suffocating defense into a victory.

The @IlliniMBB freshman, Keaton Wagler, does it again for the Fighting Illini 🔥 pic.twitter.com/aIlHgLMMe7
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 1, 2026

Down the stretch, the Illini continued to trust their freshman guard, giving him the rock and getting out of the way. And after what he’s recently shown, why wouldn’t they?

Nebraksa's Fred Hoiberg heaps high praise on Illinois' Keaton Wagler

“Listen, [Keaton] Wagler’s playing as a first-team All-American right now,” Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg said postgame. “They’re just getting the ball in his hands and letting him go to work and iso. And they’ve got shooting all around him.”

It’s an impossible conundrum. Help on Wagler and leave Illinois’ elite shooters unattended? Horrible idea. Defend Wagler one-on-one? Even worse.

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

Finding the perfect potion to slow down the Illini offense is an exceedingly difficult and unenviable task – and one that has yet to be accomplished this year. And it all goes back to Wagler – who finished with a mind-boggling 28 points, not to mention five boards and five assists (against two turnovers).

“Well, he’s been doing it all year,” Hoiberg said. "He finds a way to get to the rim. He gets to the line – and he got to the line 12 times [today]."

But it wasn’t just Wagler’s downhill ability and knack for drawing whistles that shone against Nebraska. He also hit four triples – three of which came in the second half. All he needs is a sliver of space to unload, and the 43.8 percent long-distance shooter will likely find nylon.

With Wagler operating at this level, along with Illinois’ defense playing at its peak, there is no longer a ceiling on this club – and that’s with star veteran guard Kylan Boswell still out of the mix.

By the time Boswell does return, it won't be just the Illini's ceiling that's sky-high. Even the floor, perhaps more importantly, will be – so to speak – through the roof.