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Updated Illini Basketball Postseason Resume After Keaton Wagler Clinic

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keaton wagler

We all just witnessed history! Illini basketball has a superstar in the making in point guard Keaton Wagler. The electric freshman just achieved one of the greatest performances in college basketball history with 46 points (13-17 FG, 9-11 3PT, 11-13 FT) and four assists.

Keaton Wagler broke many Illini basketball and NCAA records on Saturday.

keaton wagler

Wagler scored the most points by an individual player in a road win over a top-10 opponent in the AP poll era.

He also tied Andy Kaufmann (not the classic era comedian, who had 46 points scored in 2OT vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Dec. 3, 1990) for the second-most points in the 121-year history of Illini basketball.

Dave Downey, with 53 at Indiana on Feb. 16, 1963, remains #1. Wagler also broke the Mackey Arena points record for a visiting player. Wagler is one special, elite point guard. He can take over a game in ways that very few players can.

He is to the men’s side what UCLA’s Kiki Rice is to the women’s side.

Just a player at “the one,” or a “floor general,” who is simply can’t miss basketball.

keaton wagler

Saturday also marked the 100th Big Ten win of head coach Brad Underwood’s career, so kudos to him on that.

Illini Basketball Postseason Resume

Currently this team projects as a solid, straight-forward #3 seed. They are 17-3, 8-1 in the league, 5-0 on the road. However, maybe it’s time to realistically start thinking about a #1 seed?

Maybe also a Big Ten title?

brad underwood

Key Wins

Road- Purdue (KenPom 8, Net 5) Tennessee (technically a neutral site, KenPom 20, Net 28), Ohio State (KenPom 38, Net 36) Iowa (KenPom 21, Net 22)

Home- Texas Tech  (Ken Pom 18, Net 17)

Losses

This team has no bad losses; none.

brad underwood

The three teams that have beaten Illinois: UConn (KenPom 10, Net 8), Alabama (KenPom 19, Net 20) and Nebraska (KenPom 12, Net 7), have a combined six losses- that’s it.

Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”

He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.