Keaton Wagler, you are a legend.

“You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” – Dan Patrick

Keaton Wagler has been nothing short of a revelation this season. That’s not news. That’s not a hot take.

The freshman has met every single level of ascendingly hyperbolic praise with certainty.

He’s not the kind of flashy AAU product that college basketball fans consistently rail against.

He’s not the classic, pampered one-and-done lottery prospect with a 40-inch vertical and an army of handlers.

By all accounts, he’s a good kid from a strong family who has worked his way from a borderline power conference prospect to one of the top guards in the nation as a true freshman.

Illinois has not had a player like Keaton Wagler in generations.

Freshman Ayo Dosunmu was a day one starter who averaged 14 points, four rebounds, and three assists per game on 43% shooting from the field and 35% from behind the arc, and 70% from the line. That statline contained the hope of a forlorn fanbase looking to rise from the ashes of irrelevancy.

Freshman Giorgi Bezhanishvili averaged 12.5 points per game, grabbed five boards, and put up a single-game freshman scoring record with 35 points in an overtime game against Rutgers. He was an under-the-radar Orlando Antigua find who served as the precursor to the next Antigua post player commitment.

Freshman Kofi Cockburn averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds, and over one block per game. He became the most dominant center in program history.

Other true freshmen, including Adam Miller, Andre Curbelo, Skyy Clark, and Jaden Epps, have had differing levels of impact in the Underwood era.

Keaton Wagler is something completely different than a standout freshman.

Wagler represents the limitless ceiling. 

Traditional basketball logic says that an experienced point guard with tournament experience, maturity, good foul shooting, and clutch shotmaking is the key to success in March. 

Illinois has that guy: senior guard Kylan Boswell.

When Boswell went down with an injury before the Maryland game, the loss seemed significant. It was a future seeding killer. It was the blow that would negatively impact the Illini in their challenging slate of upcoming games against Purdue, Michigan State, and Nebraska.

Then, a funny thing happened at Mackey Arena.

Without their unofficial captain and senior leader, the #11 Illini beat the #4 Boilermakers 88-82.

And they did it because Keaton Wagler carried them there.

Illinois achieved a statement win in a season in which they have obliterated expectations.

Wagler’s 46 points kept Illinois in a back-and-forth slugfest between two teams with clear national championship expectations. His 9 makes from beyond the arc set a program record and put an exclamation point on his ceiling.

Let’s kill the NBA dragon now.

There is a very dumb portion of the Illinois fan base that will say Wagler needs to come back to Illinois for his sophomore season. They will say he needs to bulk up and improve getting to the basket because the NBA is about freakish athleticism.

To those fans, I would say this: tell me you don’t watch the NBA without telling me you don’t watch the NBA.

With the influx of European players and NIL keeping many talented college players in school longer, the NBA is more of a skill game. And yes, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Anthony Edwards are all exceptional run-jump athletes who physically excel in one-on-one matchups.

But if you were to fill in your top-10 players in the league, they would include Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Jayson Tatum.  

The best team of the past 15 years, the Golden State Warriors, was built around skill guys, not athletes.

The Spurs dynastic squad was built around skill players, not freakishly physical anomalies.

In other words, Wagler is the perfect guard for the current skill-driven NBA.

The Mackey Miracle puts him squarely in the F-tier.

It’s not just the quantity of points. 

It’s not just the consistency of excellence.

It’s the nonchalance with which it occurs.

Keaton Wagler plays basketball with an instinctive confidence that doesn’t manifest itself in screaming celebrations or rim-swinging bravado. He does everything like he’s been there before, which is a massive part of why the notoriously pearl-clutching Illinois fanbase has embraced him rapidly and thoroughly.

Enjoy Keaton F. Wagler while he’s here. While it is possible to recreate Wagler’s 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 39% from behind the arc, and 82% from the free throw line, the impact he’s making as a true freshman is stunning beyond the numbers.

His evolution and development are a testament to Brad Underwood and his staff. On the recruiting trail, Keaton Wagler will be just as much of a testimonial to the Altar of Ubben as Terrence F. Shannon Jr., Will F. Riley, Kasparas F. Jakucionis, and Ayo F. Dosunmu.

But primarily, this season is a testament to the young man himself. It’s proof that recruiting services don’t establish a player’s ceiling; that player establishes their ceiling. Wagler chose the right school. Illinois chose the right guard to pair with Kylan Boswell.

Boswell was an early evangelist of Wagler’s brilliance. The Champaign-native guarded Wagler every day in practice, and extolled his virtues without hesitation.

Perhaps we would have never experienced this resolution if Mihailo Petrovic were available earlier in the offseason. Maybe this would have been impossible if Illinois had accepted Jeremy Fears’ commitment, held onto Skyy Clark, or convinced Dame Sarr to spurn the Blue Devils.

The road not traveled is always fascinating. But not nearly as fascinating as the 18-year old supernova guiding the Illini into the top 10. 

The 2024 Illini made an Elite Eight run. They exorcised a lot of the demons of the Underwood era. 

In 2026, the Illini once again have no reason to fear the ghosts.