Coming off a 78-66 win to end the home portion of the schedule, Wisconsin basketball concludes the regular season tomorrow at Purdue. As it stands. the Badgers hold the number three seed in the Big Ten Tournament. A loss would likely change that, although they can’t get any lower than the six seed. Purdue won the first meeting in Madison 75-69 on February 4.
Purdue has already won the outright Big Ten regular season title. They will be the number one seed in Minneapolis next week and will be a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament. All they have to play for is the overall number one seed. Can Wisconsin basketball pull off a huge road upset? Tip time is 11:30 AM on FOX. Here is a preview of tomorrow’s game.
Will Wisconsin Basketball Take The Same Approach Defensively From the First Meeting?
In the first meeting, Wisconsin basketball chose to make Zach Edey work and to make the role players beat them. I thought they should have let Edey get his points and not let the role players have opportunities. While they did a nice job on Edey, the Boilermakers got 51 points between Braden Smith, Lance Jones, and Fletcher Loyer. That was the difference in the game.
Purdue can get hot quick shooting the ball at Mackey Arena. I will be interested to see if Greg Gard chooses to let Edey get his looks and take Jones and Smith out of the game. Expect players like Carter Gilmore and Nolan Winter to get more minutes to give Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl breaks.
Begin Building Postseason Momentum
The reality is this: Wisconsin basketball has a very slim chance to pull a road upset off tomorrow. The only way I see them winning is if Purdue rests their key players or play them just a little bit. With the number one seed in the Big Ten Tournament and an NCAA Tournament number one seed already locked, it could happen, but I doubt it will.
I thought the Badgers did some nice things Thursday against Rutgers. That made me feel like they have began to fix a few things they need to moving forward. I liked how they got to the glass on both sides and I thought their spacing and ball movement was better. If they have any shot winning tomorrow, they have to be great at just about everything. In a way, it has to be almost a perfect game.
Prediction
ESPN only gives Wisconsin basketball an 11% chance to win tomorrow. With it being Purdue’s senior day and the last time they see Zach Edey take the court in West Lafayette, I think Purdue is going to be some inspired basketball. Regardless of the Badger’s record, this never felt like a game they had a chance to win. That’s okay too.
I would love to be proven wrong here, but I don’t see a way Wisconsin comes in and pulls off the upset. I think Edey is too much and the role players play too well at home. However, teams like Northwestern and Rutgers have either beaten Purdue or took them to the brink at their place recently.
Wisconsin could also have double bye by tip time or they could be playing for one. A Northwestern loss tonight to Minnesota would guarantee a double bye for the Badgers. If the Wildcats win, I think the Badgers will play Thursday afternoon or the Thursday night game next week.
I like Purdue in this game. With the combination oft heir skill, talent, size, and senior day, it’s going to be too much for the Badgers to come in and pull off a win. If we see Wisconsin basketball take care of the ball and take good shots, you can live with the result and continue to build on the momentum next week and in the NCAA Tournament
Purdue 82 Wisconsin 68
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