Wisconsin at Purdue | Game Preview | Senior Day

Purdue will host Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 on FOX.

#3 Purdue 27-3 (17-3) won the first matchup of the season over Wisconsin 19-11 (11-8) on February 4th, 75-69, at Wisconsin.

At the time, it was a matchup of two top-ten teams, but both teams have gone in the opposite direction over the final stretch of the season. The loss to Purdue was part of a four game losing streak for the Badgers. Wisconsin comes into Mackey Arena with a 3-7 record in its last ten games.

Before that stretch, it was Wisconsin that was sitting on top of the Big Ten.

Purdue has wrapped up the Big Ten by multiple games now after defeating Illinois on the road. It's the second straight season Purdue will win the Big Ten by multiple games. Purdue has won 4 straight games and 13 of its last 14.

It sits as the #3 team in the country courtesy of the AP poll and is the likely #1 overall seed if the season ended today thanks to having the best resume in the country and the third toughest schedule.

While Wisconsin will look to right its ship and give any concerns about March and seedings a boost with a huge upset on the road, Purdue will have its senior day and the chance for its senior class to make history.

With a win, Purdue's senior class of Chase Martin, Carson Barret, Ethan Morton, Mason Gillis, and Zach Edey will tie the Big Ten record for most Big Ten wins by one class.

There's also the case of Lance Jones who transferred from Southern Illinois in the summer. Jones will come into senior day with a bit of a heavy heart.

Lance Jones lost his father during the summer.

"I wish my dad was here," Jones told us on Friday ahead of senior day. "He didn't come to my last senior night last year at SIU because he was sick."

Lance Jones might not have been around Mackey Arena as long as the other seniors, but that hasn't gotten in the way of his ability to draw from and create a connection with the crowd. Jones' tenacity and blinking quickness has made him an absolute favorite at Purdue in his one year wearing the gold and black.

Jones plays like a bolt of lightning on the course, and if the opposing teams is the ground that catches the heat of his play, it's the Mackey crowd that charges him up.

"This place has been amazing," Jones said fondly. "And sadly he[his father] didn't get to see any of it."

Jones' father will be represented by a portrait of him and Lance during senior day festivities after the game.

Mackey Arena and the special bond is part of what Lance Jones and the guys are playing for. While the Big Ten is wrapped up and the 1 seed doesn't seem to be in any jeopardy, this team hasn't lost in Mackey this year.

That means Jones has never lost in Mackey Arena.

"My first time being here, my first year being here," Jones said. "I don't wanna lose in this place. I feel like it's the best place. I don't want to experience a loss here."

Have to wonder if Matt Painter was smiling to himself ahead of tip-off at Illinois last week as the sound of senior day celebrations echoed around State Farm Arena.

Purdue used to do it like that, before Painter was there, having the senior acknowledgements and celebration before the game. It was one of the first things Painter changed.

"Don't have it before the game," Painter told me on Friday about how to handle the emotions of senior day. "It's the dumbest thing in the world, people do that. Don't let people get their emotions raised - good, bad, or indifferent - before the game. Just treat it like any other game. Then after it's over with, it like senior night."

It's a mantra that Purdue's tried to live by for each game this season. Treat every game the same, from the exhibition in Arkansas to the games coming up in March. Look at one game at a time, the next one, and keep in your rhythm.

"Don't talk about it, at all," Painter went on. "Talk about Wisconsin. Talk about winning. Talk about doing the same things. Because you stay within your habits that way.

Purdue's senior days have been limited affairs these last few seasons. Purdue hasn't had many seniors to graduate with all its youth.

Last season, the only true senior in the rotation was transfer David Jenkins Jr..

This year won't be like that.

Purdue's senior class will feature a group that's gone 103-27 in their career. The class is 58-20 in the Big Ten, and one win away from tying the most Big Ten wins of all-time in the conference. This class is also 56-4 at Mackey Arena.

A win would mean the fourth unbeaten season in school history with the last happening in 2018-19.

But even those jarring stats can make it hard to fully capture what the seniors themselves have meant to this program.

Before Mason Gillis, Ethan Morton, Chase Martin, Carson Barrett, and Zach Edey stepped onto campus, Purdue had never been the #1 team in the country. That has happened in each of the last three seasons. For the second straight year, Purdue will be a #1 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Frankly, Purdue has never been this great. The program itself has changed with the success this senior class has been a part of, first as supporting roles on those Jaden Ivey teams and now taking over as Edey has become college basketball's most dominant force.

Purdue has just three losses this season, all of them on the road, and it has no interest in entertaining leaving the regular season with a sour taste in its mouth.

It will have to manage its emotions, expectations, end of season fatigue, and the Wisconsin Badgers to end with the program's best conference record. With a win, Purdue will go 17-3 for the first time in school history.

In the first matchup, the Boilers got the best of Wisconsin in a tough back and forth matchup that saw each team make just three of its three-pointers.

Purdue was effective getting to the Badgers shooters, forcing a 3 of 19 night from behind the line, but most importantly Lance Jones made AJ Storr's day a nightmare from the start. Jones strength and quickness made it difficult to Storr to get to the space he's used to.

Storr was 4 of 15 from the field to get his 14 points, including missing all four of his three-pointers. More importantly, the types of shots Storr was forced to take were the kind of shots Painter wanted him to take. Storr had to try and get tough mid-range shots to fall while being harassed from below by the smaller Jones.

It helped keep Wisconsin's offense out of sync.

Tyler Wahl was Wisconsin's one shining star, scoring 20 points to go with 5 assists. Wahl has one of the most unique games in the country. Wahl will live in the post, pounding the air out of the ball, pumping and faking and pushing until a sliver of space or an open teammate shows up. He was effective even working around the much taller Zach Edey.

But Max Klesmit was the only other Badger in double-figures. Purdue did a good job keeping the Badgers motion contained.

At the other end, it wasn't Purdue's best performance on the offensive end. Purdue shot just 3 of 11 from three, and the amount of shots is as concerning as the percentage. It's clear the Badgers wanted Purdue to beat them anywhere besides the three-point line.

But Purdue's guards were too much for the Badgers. Jones had 20 points and Braden Smith had 19 points. It was a rare game where Edey was the team's third leading scorer at 18 points.

But Purdue dominated the glass, out rebounding the Badgers by 13 and grabbing 14 offensive rebounds.

And now Wisconsin is playing the worst basketball of its season. Its offense has flatlined. But it is coming off a win against Rutgers.

Wisconsin on paper needs this more than Purdue.

But on paper, and on the court, Purdue has been a lot better than the Badgers.

And after everything Zach Edey and this senior class has done, it's hard to imagine them going out losers at Mackey Arena.