This year, Keaton Wagler has truly proven that Brad Underwood dug up an overlooked gem from the 2025 recruiting class. As one of the stars of the show in Champaign, Wagler has stunned the world as he has led the Illinois Fighting Illini to a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance.
Now, the real test is about to begin as the Illini tip off their journey through the NCAA Tournament, and if Underwood can't figure out how to disguise Wagler's biggest flaw, it might spell ruin for Illinois.
Wagler stands at 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds. While he has decent height for a true-freshman guard, his weight has allowed opponents to push him around in the paint quite easily.
Keaton Wagler's size could be a problem in the Big Dance
For comparison, as the Illini face the Penn Quakers in the first round on Thursday, even AJ Levine, Penn's starting guard, who is only 6-foot-0, weighs 185 pounds. Penn's backup guard Cam Thrower has even more weight on Wagler, ringing in at 195 pounds despite still being three inches shorter.
The moral of the story is that Underwood and Wagler have to find a way for him to still be an effective guard without forcing him through a mess of bigger and heavier players in the NCAA Tournament.
Also read: Brad Underwood's response to Kylan Boswell's technical shows his postseason mindset
No, this shouldn't be a big problem against Penn. The Illini are favored by 24.5 points in the First Round, after all. However, after Illinois's first game of the Big Dance, things could get rocky for the team as they would likely face the UNC Tar Heels just one game later.
Illinois and Pennsylvania are scheduled to tip off at 8:25 p.m. CT on Thursday, March 19, and the game will be broadcast on TNT.