Wagler Named Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20

WoodenAward.com

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illini star freshman point guard Keaton Wagler has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List, the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced Tuesday.

Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20

Wagler Notes
• One of two NCAA freshmen averaging at least 17 points, five rebounds and four assists this season
• Leads the nation in offensive rating among players with at least 24% possessions used at 137.1
• Ranks seventh in the kenpom national player of the year ratings, and third among Big Ten players.
• Current scoring average of 17.8 points is on pace to break the Illini all-time freshman season scoring record set in 1993-94 (Kiwane Garris, 15.9 ppg)
• Fifth in the Big Ten in scoring during conference play, averaging 20.8 points
• Has scored in double figures in each of the last 16 games, and 21 times on the season
• Has seven 20-point games, closing in on the Illini freshman season record of 10 (Kasparas Jakucionis)
• Five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the second-most freshman awards in school history (Kofi Cockburn, 7)
• National Player of the Week following his record-setting 46-point performance in a win at No. 4 Purdue (Jan. 24)

Selected by a panel of national college basketball experts, the list comprises 20 student-athletes who are frontrunners for the most prestigious honors in college basketball: the Wooden Award® All-American Team and the Wooden Award® Most Outstanding Player. 

The John R. Wooden Award® Men's Late Midseason Watch List features a stacked field of elite talent, as the race for Player of the Year heats up. 

The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2026 John R. Wooden Award® Men's Player of the Year. Players not selected for the late midseason list remain eligible for inclusion on the Wooden Award® National Ballot. The National Ballot will feature 15 top players who have demonstrated to their universities that they meet or exceed the Wooden Award® qualifications. 

Wooden Award® voters will be invited to rank 10 of the 15 players on the ballot in order of preference when voting opens during the NCAA Tournament. Voters will also consider performances in the tournament's early rounds, players' contributions to their teams, and their character. The Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. 

Celebrating its fiftieth year, the Wooden Award has featured special programming with first winner and ambassador Marques Johnson, culminating in the 2026 John R. Wooden Award presented by Principal. Winners, All-Americans, and the recipient of the Legends of Coaching Award, Matt Painter of Purdue, will be honored at the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 10, 2026. 

For the latest updates, visit WoodenAward.com and follow @WoodenAward on X, Instagram, and Threads; to learn more about the Los Angeles Athletic Club, visit LAAC.com.

About the John R. Wooden Award® 
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award Program hosts the most prestigious honors in college basketball, recognizing the Wooden Award Most Outstanding Player for men and women, the Wooden Award All-America Teams for men and women, and the annual selection of the Wooden Award Legends of Coaching recipient. 

Honorees are certified by their universities as meeting Wooden Award standards established by Coach Wooden, including progress toward graduation and at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Past winners include Larry Bird 1979, Michael Jordan 1984, Tim Duncan 1997, Kevin Durant 2007, Candace Parker 2007 and 2008, Maya Moore 2009 and 2011, Chiney Ogwumike 2014, and last year's recipients Juju Watkins of USC and Cooper Flagg of Duke. 

Since its inception, the John R. Wooden Award has contributed nearly one million dollars to universities' general scholarship funds and nonprofit enterprises in the names of the Wooden Award All-American recipients, and has sent more than 1,000 underprivileged children to week-long college basketball camps. 

The John R. Wooden Award partners with Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) each year to host the Wooden Award Special Olympics Southern California Basketball Tournament. The day-long event brings together Special Olympics athletes, Wooden Award All-Americans, and attending coaches. It is hosted at the Los Angeles Athletic Club during John R. Wooden Award Weekend. 

The mission of the John R. Wooden Award Foundation (JRWAF) is to promote teamwork, academic excellence, and character development, reflecting the enduring values of John R. Wooden. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the JRWAF serves as an angel organization, independently guiding the funding of educational, athletic, and philanthropic initiatives. A dedicated board of directors leads the Foundation's efforts, committed to advancing John R. Wooden's legacy and the timeless principles of his Pyramid of Success.