4 thoughts from Wisconsin basketball's win at No. 15 Purdue
Let's break down how the Badger derailed the Boilermakers in Mackey Arena.
The University of Wisconsin basketball program playing spoilers on Purdue’s senior day was the latest road victory over a ranked Big Ten foe this season.
Wisconsin (22-9, 14-6 Big Ten) went into Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana and pulled off a 97-93 win over No. 15 Purdue on Saturday. It’s the third win against a conference opponent ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 away from the Kohl Center since Jan. 10, when the Badgers handed current-No. 3 Michigan its first loss of the season. An incredible week in February included wins at Illinois (currently No. 11) and back inside the Kohl Center against Michigan State (No. 8).
This team has shown it can defeat the best in the nation when it combines a toughness seen on Saturday and this second half of the regular season with its shooting prowess. Let’s get to the break down of the game.
Saturday’s win showed how much Wisconsin has changed from its first meeting with Purdue
Purdue dominated the first outing on Jan. 3 on way to a 89-73 victory, though Matt Painter’s program led by as much as 25 during that blowout in the second half.
Saturday was a different story. The Badgers never trailed by double digits during the game, by most nine points in the first half. Their grittiness shined when continuously fighting back as the teams traded the lead seven times, and they committed only eight turnovers in a raucous road environment.
It also helps when you’re shooting lights out from deep. Wisconsin performed far better offensively on Saturday compared to two months ago:
Jan. 3: 24 of 57 (42.1%) overall, 4 of 25 (16%) from 3-point range
Saturday: 29 of 52 (55.8%) overall, 18 of 34 (52.9%) from 3-point range
John Blackwell once again steps up away from the Kohl Center
Blackwell set the tone early with a steal and drive to the basketball, which led to an and-1 opportunity with 17 minutes, 33 seconds remaining in the first half. He scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the first 20 minutes of game action, and hit on 5 of 10 3-point attempts in the win.
Blackwell’s averaged 24.8 points and has shot 47.7% during the four wins over the four ranked Big Ten opponents since Jan. 10. That includes a blistering 47.4% from deep. Here’s the full breakdown of those performances:
Jan. 10 at Michigan: 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting; 4 of 8 from 3-point range
Feb. 10 at Illinois: 24 points on 9-of-22 shooting; 5 of 11 from 3-point range
Feb. 13 vs. Michigan State: 24 points on 6-of-14 shooting; 4 of 9 from 3-point range
Saturday at Purdue: 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting; 5 of 10 from 3-point range
The bigs stepped up in absence of Nolan Winter
Wisconsin announced Winter, who’s averaged 13.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season, would miss Saturday’s game due to a lower body injury suffered during its penultimate regular season contest against Maryland.
The Badgers were outrebounded 34-22 and allowed 16 offensive boards, and they also lost the points in the paint battle by a 34-22 margin. But forwards Austin Rapp and Aleksas Bieliauskas showed their continued improvement this season, combining for 33 points and seven rebounds in Mackey Arena.
The duo battled Purdue big men Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff, who themselves had a combined 27 points and 11 rebounds, all afternoon.
Nick Boyd took over at the end
Boyd only recorded five points in the first half, but he exploded for 18 during the final 20 minutes of regulation. He was a consistent pain in the paint late, scoring 11 of the team’s 13 points in the final 5:01 of the game.
Saturday was the 19th time this season Boyd’s hit the 20-point mark, and he’s averaging 20.1 points per contest entering the Big Ten Tournament.