The #16 Wisconsin Badgers proved to be rude guests to Purdue’s Mackey Arena on Saturday afternoon by defeating the 7th-ranked Boilermakers, 94-84. It marked Wisconsin’s fourth straight victory and Purdue’s second consecutive loss, and it will be the only time the two teams meet in the regular season.
Wisconsin notched its 20th win of the season, along with five losses, and improved to 10-4 in Big 10 play. Purdue fell short in their attempt at win number 20, falling to 19-7 overall and 11-4 against conference opponents.
Senior guard John Tonje starred for the Badgers, scoring 2 of his team-high 32 points after halftime. Max Klesmit chipped in 17 for Wisconsin.
For Purdue, Trey Kaufman-Renn‘s huge offensive game was wasted. The junior forward poured in 30 points 12 of 16 shooting, but it was not nearly enough to combat the Badgers and their prolific offense.
The Wisconsin Badgers are averaging over 81 points per game this season, their most since the 1970-71 season. Early on, however, it appeared that Purdue might hold them well under their usual standard.
After the Badgers jumped out to a 6-2 lead, Purdue scored ten straight points, thanks to three-pointers from C.J. Cox and Fletcher Loyer and two buckets from Kaufman-Renn.
Wisconsin fell behind by as much as nine points in the first half, due to them missing seven straight three-point attempts, and trailed 31-22 with 5:31 remaining in the half. Despite that, the Badgers fought back to make it a one-point deficit, 37-36, at halftime. Purdue was held scoreless for the final 2:26 before the break.
During the first 20 minutes, Purdue dominated the stats sheet. The Boilers shot for a higher percentage (52% to 48%), out-rebounded Wisconsin (14-11), and made more free throws (10) than the Badgers attempted (4).
After the intermission, however, Wisconsin came out firing and coasted to the double-digit victory.
Kaufman-Renn did his best to keep his team in front in the second half. He hit his team’s first four baskets after halftime and assisted on the fifth, a three-ball from Cox that gave the Boilers a 48-45 lead with 16:52 to go. The two teams traded baskets, but after that, it was all Badgers.
Down 50-47, Wisconsin reeled off 11 straight points, eight of which were courtesy of Tonje. From there, the Badgers held Purdue at arm’s length, allowing the Boilermakers to get no closer than six.
Wisconsin flipped the stat sheet in the second half. They finished the game with a blistering 61.5% from the field, and their 75% from the line, albeit under their nation-best 84%, helped salt the game away.
One main objective met by the Badgers was controlling Boilermaker guard Braden Smith. Entering the game, Smith was averaging nearly 17 points per game, but Wisconsin held him in check, limiting him to just six points during Saturday’s game. Smith, who is second in the country in assists, dished out 12 helpers, but his struggles shooting led to the Boilers’ demise. He was limited to just two baskets in ten attempts, and the lack of his production was something Purdue could not overcome.
Coupled with their loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Purdue now finds themselves in fourth place in the Big 10 Conference. Just last week, they were in first place and rolling both offensively and defensively. The past two ranked opponents have shown the Boilermakers that every game, especially in the Big 10, is vital to their overall success and seeding come March.
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