Can the Badgers get their biggest victory yet on the road against Purdue?
The No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers return to the hardwood for the first time in a week and take on the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Tip-off is at noon CT on CBS, and Wisconsin is a 5.5-point underdog.
Last Saturday, Wisconsin completed the season sweep of rival Iowa, winning at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 74-63. It was another stellar game for John Tonje (22 points) and John Blackwell (19 points), and the Badgers pulled away from the Hawkeyes late in the second half.
Since that win in Iowa City, the Badgers had a week off from games but now turn their attention to one of the best teams in the conference. What should Badger fans know about the Purdue Boilermakers?
Opponent Preview
No Zach Edey? No problem. Matt Painter’s squad enters this game as one of the best teams in the country at 19-6 and 11-3 in the Big Ten Games. The Boilermakers are coming off a tough 75-73 loss at Michigan, in which they controlled most of the game.
Braden Smith came into this season as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and has not disappointed. Smith has been the catalyst for the Boilermakers this season and has established himself not only as the best point guard in the Big Ten but also as one of the best in the country. The junior guard’s 8.6 assists per game is second in the country, and his 2.5 steals per game is the best in the Big Ten. In addition, Smith’s 16.4 points per game is second on the team.
Junior Fletcher Loyer averages 13.8 points per game and leads all Boilermaker starters with 45.1 percent three-point shooting, while freshman C.J. Cox has earned twelve starts in his first season in West Lafayette.
One frontcourt player who has tremendously improved this season was Trey Kaufman-Renn. Last season, Kaufman-Renn averaged 6.4 points per game in the shadow of Edey.
This season, Kaufman-Renn is averaging 19 points per game, fifth in the Big Ten, while also establishing himself as the Boilermakers best rebounder with 6.4 rebounds per game. Both Kaufman-Renn and Smith are among the Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year Midseason 30 on Friday.
Finally, 6’ 10” forward Caleb Furst leads Purdue starters with 0.3 blocks per game, averaging 5.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per game.
Score Prediction
This should be a tremendous game between two of the best Big Ten teams, but Kaufman-Renn and Smith pose a bad matchup for Wisconsin. The Badgers will put up a fight at Mackey thanks to their offense, but I’m taking the Boilermakers in this one.
Prediction: Purdue 83-78.