Keaton Wagler NCAA tournament stats: Underrecruited freshman leads Illinois to first Final Four since 2005
The Fighting Illini will play for a spot in the national title game thanks to the star freshmen few other schools wanted.
Keaton Wagler NCAA tournament stats: Underrecruited freshman leads Illinois to first Final Four since 2005 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Thanks to one of the quickest-rising freshmen in the country, the Illinois Fighting Illini have a date in Indianapolis.
First-year guard Keaton Wagler continued his huge 2025-26 season on Saturday in Illinois' biggest game of the year, putting up 25 points against Iowa to lead his squad to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. Wagler has skyrocketed from being a consensus three-star recruit coming out of high school last year, to the freshman star of a Final Four squad. By dicing up the Hawkeyes all night on Saturday, besting another talented guard in Bennett Stirtz , Wagler has the Illini eyeing a title with just two more wins.
Here's a look at Wagler's performance in the NCAA Tournament so far, how he guided Illinois to an Elite Eight win and a breakdown of his path from under-recruited guard to likely NBA lottery pick. MARCH MADNESS HQ: Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more Keaton Wagler NCAA tournament stats Games: 4 PPG: 17. 5 RPG: 6.
5 APG: 3. 8 SPG: 1. 0 BPG: 1.