Preview: No. 10 Wisconsin hosts No. 8 Purdue with Big Ten title on the line
No. 10 Wisconsin (23-5, 14-4) vs. No. 8 Purdue (24-5, 13-5)
Game: Tuesday, March 1 inside the Kohl Center
Time: 8:00 P.M. CT
Watch: ESPN (Jason Benetti and Robbie Hummel)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Prediction: Purdue 71, Wisconsin 68
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
Wisconsin returns home Tuesday night for a Top 10 showdown against Purdue. A win would mean at least a share of a Big Ten title for the Badgers, who have a pair of games at home to close out the regular season.
The matchup will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams with the Badgers winning the first tilt in Mackey Arena, 74-69. With the season still young, Johnny Davis and UW put their names on the map with a 37-point outing to take down a then-No. 3 Purdue team.
Davis will be hoping for some help from his teammates this time around. The Badgers would need some incredible shot making from the talented sophomore to get the win on the road. After the usual duo of Brad Davison and Davis, the team's third leading scorer had six points.
With underclassmen Chucky Hepburn and Steven Crowl gaining experience, they should be able to provide just that. In the meeting, the pair combined to score nine points on 4-of-13 shooting from the field. In the team's most recent game, Hepburn tallied 10 points in the first half alone and each player nailed a three late in the game to secure a win over Rutgers.
Along with popping out for the occasional three and battling down low, Crowl will have an important assignment in the paint containing either Trevion Williams or Zach Edey. At 7-foot-4, Edey is able to tower above opposing bigs, and he did just that in the first meeting en route to scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds - five of which were on the offensive end.
Wisconsin's lack of depth in the front court will be a challenge once again with the Boilermaker's offense often running through a touch in the paint with either big man. On Jan. 3, the trio of Crowl, Tyler Wahl and Chris Vogt had each picked up their third foul with 18 minutes to go before fouling out. If foul trouble is an issue once again, Ben Carlson and potentially Carter Gilmore will each play a pivotal role in the contest.
Surrounding Purdue's big men is Big Ten player of the candidate Jaden Ivey. Wisconsin did a solid job limiting Ivey to just 14 in the first meeting, but the 6-foot-4 guard has the ability to take over a game. Either Davison or Hepburn will be tested to stay in front of the shifty guard who has had 10 games with 20 or more points.
Sasha Stefanovic is a high volume three-point shooter who can be instant offense for Purdue. He is shooting 39.9 percent from deep at over six attempts a game. Stefanovic is just shy of 40 percent from three but six players in Purdue's rotation shoot it at over 40 percent, including big Williams.
Wisconsin will need to keep pace with a Boilermakers offense that is second in the Big Ten. Purdue averages 81.6 points per game but has struggled on the defensive end, allowing 68.8 points a game, which is 10th in the conference. Guiding UW, Davis leads the nation averaging 25.3 points against ranked opponents. The Badgers will likely need another special performance from Davis in order to pull off the upset and continue what has been a special season in Madison.
Tuesday night's matchup will be the 185th meeting between the two schools with Purdue leading the series, 111-73. Wisconsin holds a 51-38 edge in Madison. A win would be UW's first season sweep of the Boilermakers since 2014.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Chucky Hepburn (Fr.) |
6-2, 211 |
7.8 |
2.1 |
2.3 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 200 |
14.2 |
4.1 |
2.0 |
|
W |
Jonathan Davis (So.) |
6-5, 194 |
20.5 |
8.3 |
2.3 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (Jr.) |
6-9, 221 |
11.2 |
5.9 |
1.6 |
|
F |
Steven Crowl (So.) |
7-0, 234 |
9.5 |
4.5 |
1.5 |
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| Pos. | Purdue | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Eric Hunter Jr. (Sr.) |
6-4, 175 |
5.7 |
1.8 |
1.9 |
|
G |
Jaden Ivey (So.) |
6-4, 195 |
17.3 |
4.8 |
3.0 |
|
G |
Sasha Stefanovic (Sr.) |
6-5, 205 |
11.2 |
2.5 |
3.4 |
|
F |
Mason Gillis (So.) |
6-6, 230 |
6.6 |
4.5 |
0.8 |
|
C |
Zach Edey (So.) |
7-5, 295 |
14.8 |
7.4 |
1.5 |
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