Month: February 2026

Illinois fans endear him. Purdue fans fear him. The men’s college basketball season is ramping up with high-stakes games every night and the NCAA tournament just around the corner. In those key regular-season games, March Madness stars introduce themselves to the nation with magical moments and Cinderella runs. We’re teaching you about them before they become national heroes. Ahead of No. 5 Illinois at No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), let us help you get to know Keaton Wagler. 1. Player Build Wagler, a 6-foot-6 freshman point guard, is both the primary play-initiator and go-to scorer for the Fighting Illini. His tight, quick handle allows him to create room for his own shots and penetrate the lane to set up his teammates. 2. Instant Success Wagler leads all Big Ten freshman with 17.9 points per game. He set the record for the most points by an opponent in Purdue’s Mackey Arena when he scored 46 points to lift the Illini over the Boilermakers on Jan. 24. 3. Conference Accolades Wagler has earned both freshman and player of the week honors in the Big Ten after his breakout game against Purdue. Wagler has also lifted Illinois into a tie with No. 2 Michigan at the top of the conference standings. 4. Underrated Wagler was the No. 150 ranked recruit in the 2025 freshman class, per 247Sports. He only got two offers from Power 4 schools — Minnesota and Illinois. He’s now in the conversation to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 5. Blind Trust Wagler was the first American prospect Illinois coach Brad Underwood offered without seeing him play in high school in person, The Athletic reported. Underwood’s son, Tyler, an assistant coach at Illinois, scouted Wagler and convinced his father to recruit the guard. Underwood, reportedly, felt more comfortable trusting film after adding two overseas players — David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic, whom he didn’t see play live — to his roster.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Azzi Fudd scored 15 of her 17 points in the first half as top-ranked UConn rolled to an 80-48 win over visiting Butler on Saturday as the Huskies won their 41st game in a row. UConn’s sophomore star Sarah Strong, the top scorer and rebounder for the Huskies, missed her first game in her two seasons for the Huskies to rest. Blanca Quinonez, the top-scoring reserve for UConn, and Caroline Ducharme also missed the game. Ziebell made her second start of the season. She matched Arnold with a team-high four steals. Serah Williams, Ashlynn Shade and Allie Ziebell had 11 points each and KK Arnold finished with 10 points for UConn (25-0, 14-0 Big East). The Huskies won their 62nd consecutive regular-season conference game. All nine available UConn players had at least two field goals. Caroline Dotsey led Butler (9-15, 3-11) with 13 points. Saniya Jackson had nine points and 12 rebounds, while Mallory Miller added nine points for the Bulldogs. UConn is 25-0 for the 11th time in program history. The Huskies have won the national championship seven times when opening 25-0. The Huskies also improved to 10-0 against the Bulldogs. The average margin of victory in those games is 40.3 points. Butler, which trailed 26-10 at the end of the first quarter in the first meeting, was only down by five after a layup by Jackson with 4:48 left in the first quarter. Fudd had five points as the Huskies scored the final nine points of the quarter. Fudd had five points in a 12-0 run in the second quarter. UConn led 44-19 at halftime. Next, Butler plays at Providence on Wednesday, while UConn hosts Creighton. Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports