EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Keaton Wagler had some pregame back spasms. Then the freshman got off to a slow start.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood asked Wagler at halftime if he was OK.
“I said, ‘Can you go?’” Underwood said, “and he said, ‘Oh yeah.’ Just so nonchalant and casual about it.”
Wagler then went out and added to his impressive season with No. 13 Illinois, scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half of a 79-68 victory at Northwestern on Wednesday night. The 6-foot-6 guard also finished with five rebounds and three assists.
Wagler is averaging a team-high 16.1 points for the deep Illini, who have won six in a row to improve to 14-3 — matching the program’s best 17-game start since the 2012-13 season. He also leads the team with 36 3-pointers and 63 assists.
“The thing that impressed me most is how young he is and how mature he plays,” junior center Tomislav Ivisic said. “Basically, he doesn’t have a lot of mistakes in games. … He’s just extremely talented. Great teammate, and I just love playing with him.”
Wagler made it sound as if the back spasms were no big deal.
“I think I just had to just get going and try not to think about it as much,” he said. “Because warmups, you know, it was bothering me, but then once I got out there and started playing, got into the flow of the game, I didn’t feel anything at all, especially in that second half.”
It sure looked that way.
Wagler began the second half with a driving layup and a 3-pointer. He drove inside for a three-point play and made another 3 during a 9-0 run that lifted Illinois to a 62-47 lead with 9:43 remaining.
After Northwestern rallied again, Wagler set up Ivisic for a 3-pointer that made it 72-63 with 2:53 to go.
“It’s just what that young man does. It’s truly what he does,” Underwood said. “We’ve come to, not take it for granted, but we’ve come to expect those kind of performances.”
Wagler, a four-star recruit from Shawnee, Kansas, has scored at least 16 points in eight of his last nine games. He’s averaging 19.3 points in Big Ten play, helping the Illini get off to a 5-1 start in conference play that includes four road wins.
Wagler said he thinks the experience at Northwestern — when he was 7 for 12 from the field in the second half — will help him during the last part of the season.
“It gives me confidence,” he said. “I have great teammates, so I know if I’m not scoring the ball, just trying to make plays for others. They can score, too.”
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