MADISON, Wis. – A magical year deserved another magical moment for the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers gave them two.
One possession after All-American-to-Be Johnny Davis banked in a two-point shot to give UW the momentary lead, freshman guard Chucky Hepburn kissed a 3-pointer off the glass to emphatically give them the lead with 1.2 seconds left.
It was the deciding bucket after Tyler Wahl picked off the inbounds pass, lifting the Badgers to the Big Ten title with a 70-67 victory over No.8 Purdue.
It was the second Big Ten title in three years for the Badgers, the sixth in the last 20, and 20th overall for the program.
It was an apropos finish for the Badgers (24-5, 15-4 Big Ten), once predicted to finish 10th in the preseason media poll, giving major contributions from numerous outlets to sweep the Boilermakers (24-6, 13-6) for the first time since 2014.
Wahl scored a game-high 19 points, adding five steals and two blocks for good measuring, Hepburn’s 3-pointer capped a night in which he finished with a career-high 17 points and didn’t turn the ball over once in 33 minutes, and Davis finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Holding a precarious, 65-64, lead with 49.3 seconds left, Davis got his shooter’s role again, an off-balanced jumper shot that banked in high off the glass. He was trying to draw contact but looked like he had started to stitch the banner.
The Boilermakers didn’t go down quietly, as Jaden Ivey (game-high 22 points) drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 10 seconds left. Choosing not to use one of its two timeouts, Hepburn returned the favor by banking in a 3-pointer from the elbow – over Ivey – with 1.2 seconds left.
Getting to that point was a matter of toughness and grit, a trademark of the squad.
A raucous partisan crowd didn’t have to wait long to erupt. Coming out of the first media timeout, an 8-0 run by a reserve-heavy UW lineup gave the Badgers their first lead at 16-14. Save for a few perimeter breakdowns on Stefanovic, the defense was active at the rim
UW led, 33-28, at halftime and did it with only one field goal from Johnny Davis. It was a product of 11 points from Hepburn, nine from Wahl, and UW’s defense holding the Boilermakers to 28.6 percent (6-for-21) over the final 16:34.
The Badgers entered 10-0 on the season when Hepburn reached double figures but his 3-pointer out of a UW timeout – with Ivey closing hard - reignited the crowd after Purdue’s 6-0 run cut the deficit to one. When Davison hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, his first bucket of the game, the building erupted.
The Boilers weren’t content to be a footnote on Wisconsin’s Big Ten coronation. A 14-2 run by Purdue flipped an 11-point deficit to a one-point edge with 7:42 remaining, a stretch that saw the Badgers miss nine of 10 from the field. As he has done often this season, Davis flipped the momentum.
Finishing through contact for a 3-point play on the ensuing possession, Wisconsin scored points off the post on five of its next seven possessions, six of them coming from Wahl battling on the low block.
What it means: A win on Sunday (or an Illinois loss to either Penn State or Iowa) would give Wisconsin the outright conference title and the No.1 seed in the conference tournament. A share of the title with the Illini would mean UW would be the No.2 seed in Indianapolis.
Star of the game: Beyond the 3-pointer and his career-high point total, Hepburn was a catalyst for Wisconsin in the first half with 11 points. He hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions early to raise the decibel level and finished through contact in the paint for another 3-point play
Stat of the game: Wisconsin committed only six turnovers in 63 possessions, including only one turnover in 33 second-half possessions.
Don’t overlook: He didn’t score a point in the first half, but no Badger was more valuable than Chris Vogt. The senior transfer had four rebounds, three offensive boards that led to 3-pointers, two assists, and a block. With Edey fighting foul trouble, Vogt’s presence was the largest on the floor and helped limit Purdue to 2-for-8 on layups. Vogt finished with two points, four rebounds, two assists, and a block in 15 minutes.
What’s next: Wisconsin closes the regular season by hosting Nebraska Sunday (1 p.m./BTN). The Fred Hoiberg tenure has not gone well for the Huskers, who is 23-66 overall and 8-50 in the conference in three seasons. However, Nebraska (9-21, 3-16) is playing its basketball of the season within the past week. After beating Penn State, 93-70, for its first conference road win since last February (also at Penn State), the Huskers snapped their 24-game skid against ranked opponents with a 78-70 victory at No.21 Ohio State. The Huskers have now won consecutive road games for the first time since February 2018.
Wisconsin won at Nebraska, 73-65, on January 27.
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