Preview: Wisconsin looks for its first win in Mackey Arena since 2014
No. 25 Wisconsin (16-9, 10-8) vs. No. 23 Purdue (16-8, 11-6)
Game: Tuesday, March 2 inside Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Indiana)
Time: 8:00 PM
Watch: ESPN2 (Dave Flemming and Chris Spatola)
Listen: 1310 WIBA AM and 101.5 FM (Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas on the call); stream online on iHeartRadio
Line: Wisconsin +2 (Fanduel)
Prediction: Purdue 65, Wisconsin 61
Follow Online: The Badgers' Den
Twitter: @Badger_Blitz
PRE-GAME NOTES
As the regular season comes to an end this week, Wisconsin travels to Mackey Arena for a date with Purdue. The Badgers are coming off a loss to Illinois, while the Boilermakers are winners of three in a row and four of their last five.
Purdue cracked the top 25 for the third time this season after three double-digit victories over Michigan State, Nebraska and Penn State. Their season-best No. 23 ranking doesn't jump off the page, but the young group has exceeded expectations.
Matt Painter's squad is made up of seven freshmen and zero seniors. His group lost a pair of rotation players to the transfer market in Nojel Eastern (Howard) and Matt Haarms (BYU) prior to the start of the season.
Leading the way for the Boilermakers is forward Trevion Williams, the team's leading scorer for the second straight season. Williams, who is averaging 15.8 points and nine rebounds per contest, leads the team in those departments. The 6-foot-10, 265-pound forward has been a handful, totaling at least 23 points in three of the past six games.
Purdue's second leading scorer, Sasha Stefanovic, has turned it on as of late. The junior guard paced the Boilermakers with 16 points in their most recent win over Penn State and totaled 14 in the previous contest. Stefanovic is shooting a team-best 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.
In the backcourt, Eric Hunter Jr. has been solid for Purdue and will likely draw the assignment of defending D'Mitrik Trice. Hunter is the team's third leading scorer (9.8) and leads the Boilermakers in assists (3.0) and steals (1.2).
Tuesday's meeting is a chance for Wisconsin to land an elusive win over a top team in the conference. The Badgers are hoping for another pair of big performances from their offensive leaders, Trice and Micah Potter, both of whom paced UW in its loss to Illinois. Trice erupted for 19 points in the final two minutes en route to a game-high 29 points.
Wisconsin is searching for some form of momentum heading into postseason play. UW is 1-3 during its final stretch of games, a run that included five ranked opponents in its final six contests. The Badgers are 0-6 against the top five teams in the league and 10-2 against the rest of the conference.
Mackey Arena has been a house of horrors of sorts for the Badgers. Wisconsin is just 4-41 inside that building and hasn't come out of West Lafayette with a win since 2014. While there are no fans this season, the advantage has held true as Purdue is 6-1 at home in league play.
Tuesday night will be the 183rd meeting between the two schools with Purdue leading the series 110-72, including a 72-18 edge at home.
| Pos. | Wisconsin | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
D'Mitrik Trice (R-Sr.) |
6-0, 184 |
14.1 |
3.5 |
3.9 |
|
G |
Brad Davison (Sr.) |
6-4, 202 |
8.8 |
3.5 |
2.1 |
|
F |
Tyler Wahl (So.) |
6-9, 220 |
5.3 |
4.2 |
1.4 |
|
F |
Aleem Ford (R-Sr.) |
6-8, 217 |
8.6 |
4.2 |
1.2 |
|
F |
Nate Reuvers (Sr.) |
6-11, 235 |
8.6 |
3.4 |
0.6 |
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| Pos. | Purdue | HT/WT | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
G |
Jaden Ivey (Fr.) |
6-4, 200 |
9.3 |
3.6 |
1.9 |
|
G |
Eric Hunter Jr. (Jr.) |
6-4, 170 |
9.8 |
2.4 |
3.0 |
|
G |
Sasha Stefanovic (Jr.) |
6-5, 200 |
10.0 |
2.8 |
2.2 |
|
F |
Mason Gillis (R-Fr.) |
6-6, 230 |
5.4 |
4.0 |
1.3 |
|
F |
Trevion Williams (Jr.) |
6-10, 265 |
15.8 |
9.0 |
2.1 |
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