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Purdue Basketball Preview: Game 26 — Wisconsin

On3 imageby:Brian Neubert•about 19 hours•

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Purdue's Braden Smith
Purdue's Braden Smith (Chad Krockover)

Now a game back atop the Big Ten following an eventful loss at Michigan, seventh-ranked Purdue gets another marquee conference game Saturday afternoon as No. 16 Wisconsin visits Mackey Arena.

DETAILS: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 | 1 p.m. ET | TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (19-6, 11-3 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
WISCONSIN (19-5, 9-4 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

TeamAPCoachesNETKenPomKenPom Win%
Purdue779866%
Wisconsin1615171134%

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• Coming off the narrow loss in Ann Arbor, Purdue’s now a half game behind league-leading Michigan, a half game ahead of third-place Michigan State and a full game ahead of Wisconsin

• Braden Smith needs just 28 more assists to break Bruce Parkinson’s Purdue career record of 690.

Smith has also scored 24 or more points in four of the past five games.

• The Michigan game was Purdue’s first of the season in which it did not get any points from its bench. Purdue’s four main reserves combine in Big Ten play to average almost points per game.

• Trey Kaufman-Renn and Caleb Furst fouling out at Michigan marked the Boilermakers’ first two DQs of the Big Ten season.

ABOUT THIS GAME

• The Badgers have won three in a row to position themselves to factor into the Big Ten title race down the stretch.

• All told, Wisconsin might be the best offensive team in the Big Ten. It’s No. 2 in conference play in efficiency and effective field percentage, but No. 1 in three-point shooting (39 percent) — roughly half their shots are threes — and an 80-percent team at the foul line. Wisconsin’s third in the Big Ten in scoring behind Illinois and Purdue, but also as capable as anyone of simply running opponents off the floor.

In early January, the Badgers scored 116 points at home against Iowa; it was just a few weeks ago, too, that Wisconsin opened with a 24-4 run at home against Indiana.

• At the same time, Wisconsin only allows just under 70 points in Big Ten, third-fewest in the conference, behind only Michigan State and Purdue.

• John Tonje, who came to Wisconsin via Missouri after a four-year career at Colorado State, has not only replaced the departed A.J. Storr, but been an upgrade, as he’s averaging 17.7 points and shootomh 43 percent from three and fitting Wisconsin well. He and returnees John Blackwell and Max Klesmit comprise one of the more formidable floor-stretching trios in the Big Ten, complementing veteran center Steven Crowl.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

FOULS AND FREE THROWSTHREE-POINT SHOOTINGOFFENSIVE REBOUNDS, FAST BREAKS
These are always physical games. Purdue needs to avoid foul trouble and preferably inflict some on opponents. Purdue must keep Wisconsin out of shooting rhythm best it can. The book is out on the Boilermakers’ defensive systems now, requiring it to be that much better in rotations, switches, ball pressure, etc. And taking care of the basketball, of course.‘Easy’ points, however they can be found always matter, but more in games like this. Both ways. This is important: Purdue scored just one fast-break point at Michigan. That has been a reliable source of offense this season.

GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 76, WISCONSIN 71

Credit to Wisconsin for its excellent season after it got hit hard by other people buying away its players. The Badgers have reinvented themselves to a certain extent at a program where continuity has always mattered. But Purdue is still Purdue in Mackey Arena and this group has always responded pretty well to adversity and it should be made after that weird loss at Michigan.

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