Northwestern's Jayden Reid Explains Illinois' Keaton Wagler's Breakout

It’s hard to believe Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler has so quickly turned into a high-volume scorer on a night-to-night basis that he can pour in a team-high 22 points in a Big Ten victory on the road and we don’t bat an eye.

The resurgence of Illini big man Tomislav Ivisic and the a la carte versatility of Kylan Boswell on the defensive end highlighted the postgame headlines, while Wagler’s 22-point showing was just another day (or night) at the office – which is truly a testament to his consistency.

Keaton Wagler's huge second half lifts Illinois at Northwestern

After entering halftime with just two points, Wagler – who has been battling back issues – immediately got to work in the second frame. Pull-up triples, midrange jumpers, and-one buckets at the rim accompanied by balletic footwork and feathery-soft touch – it was all on display. Wagler showed off the full scoring package in the second half on Wednesday in a 79-68 Illinois victory over Northwestern.

“Wagler was fantastic in the second half,” Northwestern coach Chris Collins said in the postgame press conference. "Give him a lot of credit. I thought we did a good job on him in the first half. I think he only had maybe two or four, but I thought in the second half he really controlled the game and made some big shots and big plays for them."

Keaton Wagler continued to show some major flashes in the Fighting Illini’s win tonight over Northwestern:

22 PTS
5 REBS
3 ASTS
8-17 FG
3-7 3PT
3-3 FT

Wagler, a 6-6 guard, has turned himself into a potential lottery pick and is having a breakout freshman season. He came into… pic.twitter.com/Y3cAYMkzlb
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) January 15, 2026

So how exactly did Wagler get it going? Well, his stellar second half appears to be tied closely to the gravity-pulling force of his Illini teammates.

“[It] was just a tough coverage because their bigs can shoot,” said Northwestern guard Jayden Reid, who was tasked with checking Wagler for the majority of the game. "So on the ball screens, we didn’t do a good job of breaking off the ball screens when he got downhill."

In pick-and-pop scenarios involving Illinois, opponents have two options: 1) Stop the downhill driver and rely on a stunt from the help defenders to discourage a pass to the popping big man, or 2) ensure the popper doesn’t get a clean look, but then risk the driver getting deep into the paint.

It’s a lose-lose situation. That’s why the Illini love to pick-and-pop action. And on Wednesday night, they were fortunate enough to take advantage of both options, as Ivisic had the hot hand from long range and Wagler was able to get to the rack and get himself unstuck.

“On his isos, the first half, we were physical with him – we got under him," Reid said of Wagler. "The point guards guarded him – obviously, he’s a 6-foot-6 point guard – so me and Jake [West] guarded him most of the time. Just getting up in his stuff, being physical with him. And then [in] the second half, they ran some ball screens, got some switches and he was just too loose. And then after a good player makes a couple shots, it’s just hard to stop him at that point."

Twenty second-half points later, Wagler pushed the Illini lead to 11 with a pair of free throws that served as the final nail in the coffin, giving Illinois a 79-68 lead that it held on to until the final buzzer.

Wagler finished the outing with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists – yet another gem of a performance in Big Ten play. Arguably the frontrunner in a two-man race for the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award (Washington’s Hannes Steinbach is the other noteworthy challenger), Wagler is putting together one of the best freshman campaigns not just in the conference but also in the entire country.