Date: Friday, Jan. 24, 2020
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette)
TV: FS1
Radio: Purdue Radio Network
Purdue Particulars: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
More: Purdue primer and GoldandBlack.com coverage
Wisconsin Particulars: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
GoldandBlack.com in-game updates: @GoldandBlackcom | @brianneubert
ABOUT THIS GAME
Purdue's riding a two-game losing streak and coming off its first home loss in almost two full seasons as Wisconsin visits.
The Badgers have won three of their past four after also losing at home to Illinois as Purdue just did. Wisconsin has scored good road wins, having won at Ohio State when the Buckeyes were ranked fifth ahead of their free-fall, then winning at ranked Penn State.
Obviously this is a crucial game for Purdue, which was shown to be beatable at home during Illinois' second-half surge earlier in the week. The Boilermakers are just a game over .500 overall, and it goes without saying that their NCAA Tournament hopes hinge on their ability to defend home floor from here on out, and this would be a Quad 1 win for the résumé.
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS (10-9, 3-5Â B1G)
ABOUT PURDUE
• For the Illinois game, Purdue returned to its starting front-line pairing of Matt Haarms and Trevion Williams side by side, but many weeks after their introduction, such lineups have remained a mixed bag for the Boilermakers.
By some accounts, Purdue has been concerned about its offensive spacing for both players, hardly content defensively, and against Illinois, they provided little rebounding punch in a game in which it was desperately needed. Illinois led Purdue 20-8 on the glass at halftime.
Stay tuned for more on the twin-post lineups Friday.
• The past three games, Nojel Eastern is averaging 12.3 points on 55-percent shooting. He's been Purdue's leading scorer each of the past two games, with 14 points against both Maryland and Illinois.
• Sasha Stefanovic is 3-for-14 from the floor the past two games, 0-for-7 from three-point range, only the third and fourth games all season he's been held without a three-pointer, the others being Florida State and Ohio. Needless to say, Purdue's best shooter has been a defensive priority for opponents.
WISCONSIN BADGERSÂ (12-7, 5-3 B1G)
ABOUT WISCONSIN
• Leading scorer Kobe King is shooting 55.2 percent from the floor in Big Ten play. He's not a high-volume three-point shooter, but he's a big, physical guard who'll find opportunities around the basket and post up while the Badgers' skilled big men play some away from the basket.
• Wisconsin is making just under 35 percent of its threes in conference play, with Brevin Pritzl making 42 percent off the bench, and D'Mitrik Trice's and Brad Davison's percentages not reflecting the danger they present.
Wisconsin has five players who've made seven or more threes this Big Ten season — by comparison, Purdue has two — and makes an average of 7.6 triples per conference game.
The real trick with Wisconsin: Its bigs can shoot.
In the midst of a breakout season, junior Nate Reuvers is averaging 12.6 points and making 37 percent of his threes, of which he taken more than anyone on the Badgers' roster.
Meanwhile, Ohio State transfer Micah Potter — who became available midseason — leads the Big Ten, at 60 percent, on 9-of-15 shooting.
They will present a difficult matchup for Purdue's big men.
• Per KenPom, Wisconsin is 350th nationally in tempo. Purdue is 347th. Precedent exists this season for the Boilermakers' twin-post lineups faring better against slower-paced teams, Virginia and Northwestern being two examples. (Wisconsin doesn't play Reuvers and Potter together.)
According to KenPom, the Badgers' average possession spans 20.2 seconds, ranking 349th.
• The Badgers are the No. 1 foul-shooting team in the Big Ten, at 77.2 percent, but averages only 14.3 attempts per game.
Purdue averages only 14.0.
BOTTOM LINE
Don't over-react to the second half vs. Illinois. Mackey Arena remains a significant advantage for Purdue, and the Boilermakers should have a more manageable matchup in the post on offense in this one and Its guards more room — as in some room — to operate.
GoldandBlack.com Prediction: PURDUE 66, WISCONSIN 61
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