Illini guard Keaton Wagler makes ballot for John Wooden Award

Keaton Wagler has been named to the top-15 finalist lists for the NCAA John Wooden Award. The Wooden Award is given to the most outstanding men’s basketball player regardless of their year in college. Wagler, who was ranked 261 overall prospect in the 247sports composite rankings, has averaged 18.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 42 percent from the three-point line.

His 46-point performance in Mackey Arena was arguably the most dominant performance by a college freshman and immediately solidified his status as one of the best freshmen in the country. As it stands right now, Keaton Wagler is a unanimous lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is currently in the midst of the best freshman season by an Illini basketball player ever. Considering some of the names on this list, all of the Illini nation should certainly be proud to have Keaton Wagler in the Orange and Blue.

The full list

1. Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas
2. Christian Anderson, Texas Tech
3. Cameron Boozer, Duke
4. AJ Dybantsa, BYU
5. Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
6. Kingston Flemings, Houston
7. Thomas Haugh, Florida
8. Graham Ike, Gonzaga
9. Joshua Jefferson, Iowa State
10. Yaxel Lendborg, Michigan
11. Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
12. Braden Smith, Purdue
13. JT Toppin, Texas Tech
14. Keaton Wagler, Illinois
15. Caleb Wilson, North Carolina.

#Illini Keaton Wagler is on the Top 15 ballot for the Wooden Award pic.twitter.com/dmzKfqSA1H

— Tristan Thomas (@TristanThomasTV) March 7, 2026

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $50 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here.

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois news! Go Illini!