TCR Bracketology 5.0: Keaton Wagler Appreciation Week

I had a different, more bracketology related introduction written for this week’s article, but like Matt Painter’s defensive gameplan, Keaton Wagler made me throw it in the trash. Much has already been said about Keaton’s historic performance on The Champaign Room already, and yet it still does not do the magnitude of the performance justice.

46 points on just 17 field goal attempts.

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9-11 from three, with most of those off the bounce from NBA range.

I am trying to write this article, but I keep getting sidetracked rewatching highlights and reading and listening everything I can find on Keaton Wagler.

What does it all mean for March and beyond? Right now, it moves the Illini up into a tight clump of teams including Michigan State, Houston, Iowa State, Purdue and Gonzaga fighting on the border of the two and three seeds. Our sparkling 4-3 record in Quad 1A games, with no losses outside of that quadrant stacks up well against any of them, as well as our Kenpom (4) and T-Rank (6). For me, that slides the Illini in as the third 2-seed, behind fellow Big Ten squads Nebraska and Michigan State. Seeding that high will almost certainly have the Illini playing in Saint Louis for their first two games.

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Beyond the seeding though, a performance like this is a springboard. The confidence to be able to go into any environment, and trust that the moment won’t be too big for your superstar freshman is massive for the psyche of this team. March is supposed to be dominated by veteran squads, but after all the people Wagler has already proved wrong during his meteoric rise, would you really put it past him to lead the Illini on a deep run, and etch his name in Madness history alongside the likes of fellow diaper dandies Mike Bibby, Pervis Ellison, Anthony Davis and Carmelo Anthony?

West (San Jose)

Florida A&M/Maryland Eastern Shore

Notes on the Region:

It’s late and Keaton Wagler has fried my brain, so I am just going to quote myself from two weeks ago, the first…

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Publish date : 2026-01-26 14:11:00

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