Matt Painter gives Illinois’ Keaton Wagler ‘most impressive’ compliment after 46-point performance

The Illinois Fighting Illini delivered one of its most stunning road wins in recent memory on Saturday, knocking off No. 4 the Purdue Boilermakers 88-82 inside Mackey Arena behind a historic scoring explosion from freshman guard Keaton Wagler.

Wagler poured in 46 points, the most ever scored by an opponent in Mackey Arena, leading the No. 11 Illinois basketball team to their ninth straight win and eighth Big Ten victory of the season. The performance was so overwhelming that it drew rare, glowing praise from Purdue head coach Matt Painter — even in defeat. After the game, Painter acknowledged both Wagler’s shot-making and the difficulty of defending him once he found a rhythm.

“Well, first of all, just an impressive performance. He was fabulous,” said Painter, via Fox College Hoops. “He has the ability with his step backs to even in switches, he’s going to take you, and then just pull back and just get himself into a great rhythm. And that’s something we talked about. And he hit a lot of tough shots over us, obviously. But hats off to him. That was probably the most impressive performance. Evan Turner came in here one time and played pretty well. That’s probably one the most impressive performance, if not the most impressive performance we’ve had in Mackey Arena from an opponent.”

“That’s probably one of the most impressive performances, if not the most impressive we’ve had, you know, in Mackey Arena.”

Purdue HC Matt Painter on Illinois' Keaton Wagler dropping 46 points. pic.twitter.com/Dl0EPrVUyp

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 25, 2026

Wagler did the bulk of his damage early, scoring 41 of his 46 points in the first 31 minutes, repeatedly torching Purdue’s defense with step-back jumpers, deep threes, and strong finishes at the rim. He needed just 17 shots to reach the total, drilling nine three-pointers and converting 11 of 13 free throws, while also adding four assists.

Illinois entered the game with confidence and the momentum after their consecutive wins, but facing long odds. Veteran guard Kylan Boswell was sidelined with a hand injury, Purdue was coming off a loss, and Mackey Arena has long been one of the most difficult road environments in college basketball. Yet instead of shrinking, the Illini rallied from an 11-point first-half deficit, leaning on Wagler’s shot-making to steady them.

Late-game contributions from Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis and David Mirkovic helped seal the upset, as Illinois finished with a school-record 18 made three-pointers.

Now 17-3 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play, Illinois looks incredible and increasingly like a contender heading into February. If Wagler’s breakout proves to be more than a one-night phenomenon, the Illini’s ceiling even without full health may be far higher than anyone anticipated.

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