Ex-Shawnee Mission Northwest star sets multiple records in Illinois' win at Purdue
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- Keaton Wagler scored 46 points, breaking Mackey Arena visiting scoring mark.
- Wagler hit nine 3-pointers, an Illinois single-game record established Saturday.
- Performance set Illinois freshman single-game scoring record and road top-10 mark.
When Mackey Arena opened on Dec. 2, 1967, the Purdue men’s basketball team nearly pulled off a major upset in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Boilermakers lost 73-71 to defending national champion UCLA, which was coming off an unbeaten season. The Bruins would win another national title that 1967-68 season.
In the nearly 60 years of Mackey Arena’s existence, no visiting player had ever scored 46 points in a game against the Boilermakers. That changed Saturday.
Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, a freshman who grew up in Shawnee and was a standout player at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, had 46 points in the Illini’s 88-82 victory over fourth-ranked Purdue.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood, the former Kansas State player who later was the Wildcats’ associate head coach, was blown away by Wagler’s performance.
“I thought Keaton was like nothing I’ve seen in my 39 years,” Underwood told reporters. “And Keaton made it really look easy, and I don’t mean that in a negative way at all. He just took what the defense gave him.”
Wagler made nine of his 11 3-point attempts, went 13-of-17 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line for the 11th-ranked Illini. The nine 3-pointers marked a school record. The Illinois website noted Wagler’s 46 points also were the most in a road win over a top-10 opponent in AP Poll history.
Additionally, Wagler set the Illinois freshman single-game scoring record. He told reporters his previous best was a 32-point performance for the Cougars.
“It’s a crazy thing that I really never thought that I would do,” Wagler told reporters. “But I just let the game come to me, and it was my night tonight. I think my teammates knew that, too, so they were trying to find me the ball and let me just go to work. And that’s what happened.”
While at Shawnee Mission Northwest, Wagler helped the Cougars to consecutive Kansas Class 6A State Championships in 2024 and 2025. He was the 2025 Gatorade Kansas Player of the Year and finished his time at Northwest ranked second in assists (272), third in steals (100), and fourth in points (1,105) and rebounds (464).
That success has continued at Illinois, and his teammates were aware of his record performance Saturday.
“They were all coming up, grabbing me, hugging me, saying a bunch of stuff,” Wagler said. “And then I walk into the locker room all hyped and they’re just spraying water in my face. I can’t see anything. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”
