The Illinois basketball program is cruising along right now, as we only dropped to No. 8 in the country.
Sitting at 20-4 overall and 11-2 in the Big Ten, the Illini have played what most would say is a pretty tough schedule. It looks like Illinois has the No. 13 strength of schedule rank, and the NET Rankings currently have us No. 4 in the country.
The respect is definitely there. In the non-conference alone, Illinois played four ranked opponents. In the Big Ten slate, we have played five ranked teams; only one of those was at home.
On Tuesday night, Illinois is back in Champaign to take on an unranked Wisconsin squad. The Badgers just got clipped by the Indiana Hoosiers, so they will be hungry.
With all of the big-time games Illinois has played this season, I think the game on Tuesday night against Wisconsin is the biggest of the contests for Keaton Wagler.
Wagler has started every game this season, and he has put up massive numbers against some elite programs. So, why is this game against the Badgers the biggest game for Wagler?
Confidence.
If Wagler were a senior and he had been through the wringer on numerous occasions, then I wouldn’t worry about him rebounding against the Badgers. But the now-19-year-old – birthday was on February 3 – true freshman is coming off his worst game of the season.
Wagler was bad against the Spartans. He had the worst shooting night of his freshman campaign, going 2-of-16, 12.5%, from the field. He also tied his season-high with three turnovers in the game.
This game is the most important of the season for Wagler, as he tries to get back on track. I believe I know what will happen. Wagler has the confidence and the basketball IQ of a senior, so he will be fine tonight. But I need to see it with my eyes.
A young player can be affected by having a stinker of a game against an elite program. I don’t want to see hesitation in Wagler’s shot. I want to see him continue to be aggressive toward the hoop. It would be nice to see him do his little between-the-legs shimmy shake step back three-pointer, too.
Keaton Wagler has had mixed results when laying an egg for the Illinois basketball program
At the end of the day, Wagler should be just fine. I expect him to have a good game against Wisconsin, but the results have been mixed when it comes to rebounding after a bad performance.
Wagler only shot 22.2% from the field against Alabama in November. He followed that game up with a big performance against LIU, where he shot 70% from the field and put up 19 points.
In the next game, Wagler struggled against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, only shooting 18.2% from the field. He couldn’t rebound against UConn in the next contest, going just 1-of-3 in the game and finishing with a season-low three points.
Wagler has all-world talent. He is one of the best players in the country. On Tuesday night against Wisconsin, he will either shrink or shine. I fully expect the latter.