Indiana Basketball Sees Lamar Wilkerson Resemblance in Illinois Star Keaton Wagler: 'Tough'

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Nearly 10 minutes after stating his claim for Lamar Wilkerson's spot in the Big Ten Player of the Year race, Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries said he sees shades of Wilkerson in Illinois star Keaton Wagler.

DeVries, who spoke with reporters Friday before Indiana (17-8, 8-6 Big Ten) faces No. 8 Illinois (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten) at 1 p.m. Sunday in State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., raved about the Fighting Illini's freshman sensation.

"He has that ability a little bit like Lamar where he can just get them in a hurry," DeVries said over Zoom. "So, I think you got to try to just do as best a job as you can, make sure he's got your focus all the time and not let him get started. Because once he does, he's really difficult to bring back."

Wagler spearheads a potent Illinois offense that averages 84.7 points per game, which ranks 27th-best in Division I, and has the highest offensive efficiency rating in KenPom history.

The 6-foot-6, 185-pound Wagler ranks ninth in the Big Ten in scoring at 18.5 points per game, tops amongst freshmen, and has won Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times this season. He's scored 20-plus points in eight contests and has reached double-digit points in 17 straight games.

Wagler is one of 20 members on the Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List and has delivered his share of Wilkerson-esque scoring outbursts. The Shawnee, Kan., native scored 46 points on Jan. 24 at Purdue, 28 points on Feb. 1 at Nebraska and 34 points Tuesday against Wisconsin.

DeVries knows the Hoosiers have a difficult assignment Sunday in Champaign.

"He's tough," DeVries said. "I mean, they do such a good job of putting you in situations where you got to choose if you want to switch or if you want to commit to the ball. And then he makes the right decision if you put two to the ball, and they got shooting everywhere. So, that's what makes him so difficult.

"And then when he does get the switch, he'll shoot it from anywhere. So, you have to be so close. And if you're too close, he's going by you and making the right play a lot of times."

Wagler is the center of Indiana's defensive focus, but the Fighting Illini have several strong complementary pieces — if they're available.

Senior guard Kylan Boswell, who hasn't played since Jan. 17 due to a broken right hand, is a game-time decision Sunday, as is junior guard Andrej Stojaković, who suffered a high-ankle sprain Feb. 7 against Michigan State and didn't play in Tuesday's overtime loss to Wisconsin.

Boswell is Illinois' second-leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game, while Stojaković averages 13.7 points per game, the third-best mark on the team.

Yet the Fighting Illini's biggest advantage over Indiana doesn't directly pertain to the trio of Wagler, Boswell and Stojaković.

According to Indiana Athletics, Illinois is the tallest team in college basketball, as the average height of its lineup is 79.8 inches. Indiana, conversely, averages 78 inches, making it the 83rd-tallest program.

Illinois starts 6-foot-9, 250-pound freshman forward David Mirkovic to go along with 7-foot-1, 255-pound junior center Tomislav Ivisic. The Fighting Illini also play 7-foot-2, 250-pound junior center Zvonimir Ivisic, 6-foot-9, 235-pound forward Ben Humrichous and 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior forward Jake Davis.

Collectively, Illinois averages 41.3 rebounds per game, the 12th-best mark in Division I, and it holds opponents to 31 boards per contest, which ranks 27th nationally.

Be it Wagler, his scoring associates or the team's overall size, DeVries said there's "a lot that concerns you" when watching the Fighting Illini on tape.

"They're a really, really good basketball team," DeVries said. "They are just so big and balanced. And they do a great job of exploiting mismatches and then the offensive rebounds. So, there's really not much of a weakness that you can really try to attack. They present a lot of challenges for you in that way."

Defensively, Illinois dares opponents to shoot 3-pointers. Teams average 26.5 triples attempted per game against the Fighting Illini, which ranks in the top 50 nationally. Illinois has allowed seven high-major opponents to shoot 35% or better from beyond the arc, and the Fighting Illini have lost four of those seven games.

Indiana takes 29.6 triples per game, the 19th-most in Division I, and connects at a 35.1% clip. DeVries acknowledged shooting 3-pointers is a "big part" of the Hoosiers' offensive identity, and on paper, that's beneficial against Illinois.

But the Fighting Illini, DeVries said, will still make life difficult for Indiana beyond the arc. The Hoosiers must be versatile and fast-paced offensively.

"You still got to do things to get yourselves into spots to create those opportunities," DeVries said. "And as we talked about on offense, the same thing is true on defense. They just have so much size everywhere that when you do get in the paint, you got to be pretty selective on how much you want to challenge them. But you still got to get in there and try to get some rim opportunities.

"And that'll be a challenge for us, playing in transition as well. But in order to play in transition, you got to get stops. And that's always been a big part of our game as well — you can't run when you're taking the ball out of the net. So, getting stops is going to be a big part of that."

Indiana enters Champaign with a narrow 96-93 margin in the series all-time, but the Hoosiers are considerable underdogs Sunday. Illinois is a 10.5-point favorite and has an 80.3% chance of victory, according to ESPN Analytics.

The Hoosiers have an uphill battle ahead, one that starts with slowing Wagler and likely requires a bevy of 3-pointers. Resting atop the hill is Indiana's first road win over a ranked team in DeVries' debut season and a statement victory for a resurgent squad hoping to solidly an NCAA Tournament bid.

Opportunity awaits. The Hoosiers know the keys to success. A full 40 minutes of execution Sunday afternoon separates them from another marquee win under DeVries and another step toward March Madness.