Three Illinois basketball players earn major Big Ten Recognition

On Tuesday, March 10th, Illinois basketball received news that three of its players have earned team and individual awards in the Big Ten. The Illini have just finished their regular season slate with a road win vs Maryland, and now head to Chicago as their first round opponent in the Big Ten Tournament has yet to be decided.

Freshman phenom Keaton Wagler earned many honors. First off, he was unanimously picked by Big Ten coaches as a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team. On top of that, Wagler earned First Team All-Big Ten honors and Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Wagler is having a history season for Illinois basketball, averaging 17.9 points per game. Keaton is a surefire lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and will certainly have a lot of eyes on him in March Madness. Keaton is the first Illini to win the Big Ten freshman of the year award since Kofi Cockburn did in 2020.

David Mirkovic and Kylan Boswell

David Mirkovic won the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and is also an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by both the coaches and media. Mirkovic is having a stellar freshman season and certainly looks like a building block for the Illini program moving forward. After the regular season, David Mirkovic is averaging  13.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Mirkovic has had a stellar conference slate and should be one of the premier players in the Big Ten if he chooses to return

Senior guard Kylan Boswell also received All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition by the media. He also earned one of five spots on the coaches’ Big Ten All-Defensive Team. Boswell is the glue to this team as he is the Illini’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 ppg. Kylan is the first Illini on the B1G All-Defensive Team since Trent Frazier. Frazier won the award twice while in Champaign, both in 2021 and 2022.

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