MADISON, Wis. – Separated by one conference win last year, Wisconsin won a share of the Big Ten title by twice beating Purdue by a combined eight points.

A year and a day after a banked-in three-pointer prevented the Boilermakers from winning Big Ten hardware, the Boilermakers might have put a nail in the Badgers’ NCAA Tournament coffin.

Led by a masterful performance by All-American junior center Zach Edey, No.5 Purdue made the timely free throws down the stretch to outlast Wisconsin, 63-61, at the Kohl Center Thursday.

Thanks to Illinois’ double-overtime win over Michigan in Champaign, Purdue (24-5, 13-5 Big Ten) clinched the outright Big Ten title and the No.1 seed for the conference tournament with just under five minutes before halftime. The Boilers strengthened their case for a No.1 seed in next month’s tournament by going 9-for-10 from the free throw line over the final 3:45, their only means of offense in the final nine possessions.

Edey – a strong favorite for national player of the year – finished with 17 points, 19 rebounds, three assists, a block, and no fouls in 34 minutes to break the Boilers’ three-game road losing streak.

Junior Max Klesmit scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half but his winning half-court heave came up well short, adding to more home misery for the Badgers (16-13, 8-11 Big Ten), which are guaranteed their first losing conference season since missing the tournament in 2017-18.

Should UW miss the tournament this season, it can point to going 5-5 at home in conference play in which it lost those games by a combined 19 points (3.8 per game).

Chucky Hepburn was the only other Wisconsin player in double figures, finishing with 12 points on a night the Badgers shot 13-for-34 (38.2) from two-point range and 10-for-24 (41.7) from distance.

The first half was muddled offensively with each team leaning into its strengths. Purdue scored 20 of its 31 points from the paint and leaned on Edey, who was 1-for-6 from the free throw line but made his four field goals in the final 9:15 to go with seven rebounds and three assists.

Wisconsin only had four points in the lane but went 5-for-11 from the three-point line, largely thanks to little-used reserve Isaac Lindsey. With Connor Essegian (8 pts, 3-for-8) sitting for the final 9:27 because of foul trouble, Lindsey – who entered 9-for-32 on the season – had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting.

The Badgers took their first lead in the second half sparked by an 11-1 run that included eight points from Klesmit. The junior was just getting started with critical plays: his driving layup tied the score at 50, his three-pointer on the next possession put UW up, 53-52, with 7:08 remaining and another layup put UW up, 57-56, with 3:30 left.

As has been the case before, UW didn’t make another field goal the rest of the game, going 0-for-4 from the field and not getting a chance to attempt a game-tying bucket with Purdue foulng up three.

What it means: Guaranteed to finish under .500 in league play for the first time since 2018 (the last time it missed the NCAA Tournament), Wisconsin showed how far the gap is between them and the best team in the conference – just a couple of points.

Star of the game: Klesmit took charge in the second half for Wisconsin after the Badgers’ frontcourt was spinning its offensive wheels dealing with Edey. Klesmit tied the season high he set on Sunday and the junior has now scored in double figures in five of the last six games.

Stat of the game: Edey in the low post made this a one-sided affair in the paint for Purdue, which outrebounded Wisconsin, 37-23, and outscored them, 30-18, in the paint. Moreover, UW starting forwards Tyler Wahl (2-for-11) and Steven Crowl (1-for-5) were ineffective.

Reason to be Concerned: Wisconsin has likely run out of games to impress the selection committee. Is 6-7 in Quad-1 games in the regular season good enough to sneak into the First Four in Dayton, Ohio?

Don’t overlook: Lindsey scored 24 points in 18 appearances this season, but the sophomore was critical in keeping the Badgers afloat in the first half with his scoring.

What’s next: Wisconsin closes the regular season at last-place Minnesota, which delivered a shocking upset over Rutgers, 75-74, on Jamison Battle’s three-pointer at the buzzer to break a 12-game losing streak. UW won the first matchup, 63-60, in Madison on January 3. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sunday on the Big Ten Network.

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