Wisconsin faced four Quad 1 foes during November and December — and lost all four.
Some might put an asterisk next to those struggles because the Badgers didn’t play any of those games in Madison, Wis. Others might wonder whether they can recover to claim their customary spot in the NCAA Tournament.
But if the lessons learned in those losses to BYU, TCU, Nebraska and Villanova can help Wisconsin notch a Big Ten upset of No. 5 Purdue on Saturday in Madison, then all will be forgiven.
Of course, that will be no easy task — though the Badgers (9-4, 1-1) have defeated the Boilermakers (12-1, 2-0) the last two times the programs have met.
Wisconsin went to Purdue last February and shot an absurd 20 of 22 inside the 3-point arc to claim a 94-84 win. Two seasons ago, the Badgers edged Zach Edey and the Boilermakers in overtime during the Big Ten semifinals — shortly before Purdue rolled all the way to the NCAA title game.
If Wisconsin is going to beat Purdue three straight times, it’s going to take a level of defensive excellence that has yet to be unlocked against a top opponent.
Purdue boasts the nation’s most efficient offense per KenPom.com — averaging 128.7 points per 100 possessions — while Wisconsin surrendered 1.31 points per possession against BYU, 1.29 versus Nebraska, 1.1 against Villanova and 1.0 versus TCU.
But Wisconsin coach Greg Gard believes he has witnessed improvement recently. Central Michigan was held to 61 points by the Badgers on Dec. 22 and Milwaukee settled for 60 on Tuesday night.
“Defensively, I think we’ve taken some steps,” Gard said. “There’s still, obviously, some miscues here or there, which you’re going to have. But I think collectively, we’ve taken a more consistent step forward to being the type of defensive team we have to be. We’re not there yet, but we’re better than we were maybe 30 days ago.”
Purdue coach Matt Painter understands the problems his offense presents for Wisconsin and all other Big Ten foes.
Braden Smith, who averages 12.5 points and a national-best 9.5 assists per game, remains on pace to break Bobby Hurley’s NCAA career record for assists because he has the freedom to read plays and dish to whoever is open between Trey Kaufman-Renn (14.0 points, 10.2 rebounds), Fletcher Loyer (14.0 points) and Oscar Cluff (11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds).
“That’s the game,” Painter said. “The game is taking what somebody gives you.”
Yet Painter, like Gard, finds himself consumed at this time of year by defensive worries. Wisconsin hasn’t shot as well from 3-point range as anticipated (33.6%), but point guard Nick Boyd (19.2 points), John Blackwell (18.2 points) and Nolan Winter (14.1 points, 9.2 rebounds) comprise a powerful trio that rivals Purdue’s big three.
“When you go up against a good team like we’re getting ready to play Wisconsin, you’ve got to make a decision on how you’re going to defend them,” Painter said. “What you’re going to try to take away and what you can actually take away, it ends up being two different things sometimes.”
–Field Level Media
