Breakdown: Purdue's loss to Wisconsin

If it didn't already, No. 3 Purdue now knows better than anyone how much things change once Big Ten play commences.

After rolling through a 12-game non-conference schedule unscathed, the Boilermakers dropped to just 1-2 in the Big Ten with Monday night's rare home loss to Wisconsin, 74-69.

Our breakdown ...

PDF: Purdue-Wisconsin statistics

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Afterward, Matt Painter relayed his pre-game routine of writing down offensive and defensive keys for his team, but balancing both with a "play hard" column, signifying that none of those keys matter without that part.

"What I wrote this time (in the effort column) was, 'Embrace the physicality of the game. Embrace getting hit and still being able to make a play and not looking at the ref to make a call.' Just being able to play through that.

"I don't think we were bad in that area, but we definitely weren't as good as Wisconsin."

Purdue was not the physical tone-setter, as the Badgers' halfcourt defense gave the Boilermakers more problems than just about anyone this season. Purdue's been one of the best offensive teams in college basketball this season, but it's no coincidence that Purdue's three lowest single-game points-per-possession totals are its three Big Ten games thus far.

"Wisconsin took us out of some things," Painter said. "Wisconsin was just mentally and physically tougher than we were."

Purdue shot only 41 percent for the game and it wasn't until the second half that it generated much of anything from its concentration of strength in the post.

"The start of the game, I wasn't tough at all," said center Zach Edey, who scored most of his team-high 22 points after halftime. "I got pushed around a little, missed a lot of easy shots I should make every time.

"In the second half, I realized what I'd done wrong and brought a little more toughness."

It was nearly enough, as Edey drove the 14-4 Purdue that put the Boilermakers up 49-42 with 11:11 left to play.

It would have been enough if not for the heroics of Wisconsin star Johnny Davis, Purdue again having no answer for the opponent's alpha scorer.

Davis roasted Purdue's defense to the tune of 37 points.

When Purdue needed stops to close out the game, Davis scored 18 points over the final 11 minutes, and assisted on one of Brad Davison's two critical threes.

"As (Painter) says, you let a guy like that get his head up," Purdue's Ethan Morton said of Davis, after Morton again wound up drawing the most important defensive assignment of the game on the fly, "and the basket looks a lot bigger to him.

"Credit to him. He played an unbelievable game and made a lot of tough shots, but there's definitely things I'd want back (defensively) and things the team would want back to limit him a little bit."

Wisconsin controlled the first half, and managed a five-point lead at the break after a bungled final 30 seconds when Purdue had a chance to draw within one or even tie a game it had trailed by as many as seven.

Isaiah Thompson's turnover, though, led to a breakaway score and a five-point Badger halftime lead.

"It was good for us to go into the locker room with a little more confidence," Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.

It didn't show, because Purdue opened the second half with a 10-1 run, which included two threes from Jaden Ivey, who'd been limited by foul trouble — and Wisconsin's defense — in the first half.

Another run followed later, the one that put Purdue up seven and seemed like the beginning of one of those classic Mackey Arena landslides.

Nope.

After Ivey's score put Purdue up seven, the Badgers struck right back with an and-one dunk by big man Chris Vogt, then a transition basket for Davis off Eric Hunter's turnover.

After Sasha Stefanovic split a pair of free throws and Purdue came up with nothing off a fast break triggered by a Trevion Williams steal, Chucky Hepburn drove for a layup and Davis' nailed a three-pointer to put Wisconsin right back ahead. Purdue's lead lasted barely two minutes, though Edey would again put them ahead for fleeting moments from there on out.

But with 3:16 to play, Davis drew a crowd, then reversed the ball to Davison for a three. Davis did it himself the next two possessions, making tough jumpers over Morton to put the game away, very similar to what Ron Harper did to the Boilermakers at Rutgers. Different shots, same result.

Purdue has a long way to go to show that what was a great non-conference team can be a great Big Ten team. Right now, it's not. It's been a broken record in this space that there is real buy-in missing at the defensive end of the floor, and when matched up Monday night against traditional Big Ten basketball values, Purdue wilted whereas Purdue has historically thrived, especially on this floor.

It's a long season, but Purdue's got to come to grips with this stuff if it wants to compete for the Big Ten title and get the best NCAA seed it can. It probably shouldn't be needing lessons at the start of January, with a team that returned virtually everyone from last season.

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