Keaton Wagler continues to make Bill Self regret letting him leave home for Illinois

Keaton Wagler didn't grow up in Illinois, or anywhere near Champaign. He grew up in Shawnee, Kansas, only half an hour from the home of the Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self.

Yet, Wagler is dominating the Big Ten for the Illinois Fighting Illini instead of the Big 12 for Self and the Jayhawks. With March Madness tipping off and him just days away from his first-ever collegiate postseason, he was asked about his childhood memories of the NCAA Tournament.

While talking about his favorite March moments, he let Self know that the Kansas head coach passed up and missed out on keeping an elite guard in his home state.

"I grew up in Kansas, so I was more of a KU fan growing up," Wagler said. "That's in the past, that's in the past, that's in the past."

Bill Self easily could have made Keaton Wagler a Jayhawk

Despite being a four-star prospect coming out of high school, Wagler didn't receive a lot of attention from Power Conference programs, including a lack of an offer from either of his home-state teams: Kansas and Kansas State.

Now, Wagler has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and has averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while leading the Fighting Illini to a 24-7 overall record and a second-place finish in the regular-season conference standings.

Do you think Self regrets not taking Wagler, who was also the No. 1 recruit out of Kansas last year, a little more seriously?

While Illinois is the No. 9 team in the country, the Jayhawks have had another back-and-forth season once again, finishing the regular season at 22-9 overall and ranked 14th in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Kansas will tip off its postseason in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday, March 12, while the Illini enjoy another off-day and their byes through the first three rounds of the Big Ten Tournament.

On Friday, March 13, Illinois will face the winner of Wisconsin-Washington/USC as the second game of the quarterfinals.