By IlliniGuys Staff

January 29, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Freshmen Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic combined for 41 points and No. 9 Illinois ran its win streak to 10 games as they held off a pesky Washington 75-66 Thursday night.

The win lifts Illinois (18-3, 9-1 in Big Ten) into a first-place tie atop the conference with Michigan, Michigan State, and Nebraska.

Coming off his Illini freshman record 46-point performance at Purdue on Saturday, Wagler scored or assisted on the first 10 Illinois points as the home team went on a 14-2 run to answer a 7-0 start by Washington. The Illini bested the Huskies in a cold-shooting first half by both teams to take a 33-26 lead at halftime.

Both squads corrected their early shooting woes coming out for the second half, but Illinois maintained its lead throughout. Ben Humrichous scored 14 points off the bench, including a pair of late three-pointers to give the Illini their biggest lead in the final minute at 72-61. Humrichous hit 4-of-6 from three-point range, his best performance since sinking five three-pointers in the season opener against Jackson State. Wagler then connected on Illinois' 11th trey of the game with 1:02 remaining for a 75-61 advantage.

Wagler finished with 22 points and also dished out a game-high 8 assists with just one turnover. He's averaging a 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio since Illinois' loss to UConn back on Thanksgiving weekend. The Illini are 11-1 in that stretch.

Mirkovic had 19 points, the 15th double-digit scoring effort of his young career. It was his biggest night since scoring 22 at Ohio State in his Big Ten debut on December 9th.

Washington (11-10, 3-7 in Big Ten) was led by star freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who scored 15 points.

Illinois now has a quick turnaround as they will travel to once-beaten Nebraska on Saturday, seeking revenge for their lone Big Ten loss. The Cornhuskers defeated the Illini 83-80 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer on December 13th in Champaign. That was Illinois' last loss, reeling off 10 straight wins since then.

That showdown will tip off Sunday at 3pm CT and can be seen on FS1.

Stay with IlliniGuys.com for complete postgame coverage.