5 Things To Know About Purdue's Next Opponent — Wisconsin Badgers
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Big Ten play resumes for No. 5 Purdue on Saturday night, traveling to Madison for a matchup with Wisconsin. The Boilermakers are off to a 2-0 start in conference play, while the Badgers are sitting at 1-1.
Wisconsin is a team that likes to play fast and has three primary scorers on the roster. The Badgers are capable of scoring a lot of points, but have also been blown out a few times this season.
Here are few things to know about Greg Gard's team heading into Saturday's Big Ten clash.
The Big Ten's fifth-leading scorer
Nick Boyd enters Saturday's contest as the Big Ten's fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging 19.2 points per game. The former FAU and San Diego State star has been the top option for the Badgers offensively this season, reaching double figures in every game, and scoring a season-high 36 points in a win over Providence in November.
Boyd is a true slasher, a player who wants to take defenders off the bounce and get to the basket. He operates best when he gets two feet into the paint, either finishing at the rim, drawing contact, or dishing out to an open teammate.
Through the first two months of the season, Boyd has been almost impossible for opponents to stop.
Likes to play fast
Wisconsin doesn't have the fastest tempo Purdue has seen this season, but it's still a team that likes to push the ball ahead quickly and get opportunities early in the shot clock. The Badgers rank 65th in adjusted tempo this season (possessions per 40 minutes), which ranks third in the Big Ten, behind Michigan and USC.
It's a method that worked well for Greg Gard and the Badgers last season, but they have struggled early this season. Wisconsin enters Saturday's game with four losses and is just 3-4 against teams in a power conference.
The offense also relies heavily on production from three players, all averaging double figures this season: Boyd (19.2 ppg), John Blackwell (18.2 ppg), and Nolan Winter (14.1 ppg).
Not afraid to shoot threes
The Badgers don't have the best three-point percentage this season, but that hasn't stopped them from shooting from the perimeter. Wisconsin is hoisting up 31.2 three-pointers per game this season, an average that ranks 14th nationally.
There are a few quality three-point shooters on the roster, led by Blackwell at a 40% rate. Braeden Carrington has been hitting at a 38.5% mark, and Andrew Rohde is converting 35.4% of his shots from long range.
Part of Wisconsin's high three-point volume is because of its fast tempo. It's also the result of having a slasher like Boyd driving into the paint and finding open shooters around him.
Three double-digit losses
When Wisconsin has lost this season, it has lost big. Technically, all four of its losses this year have come by double-digits, but the 76-66 loss to Villanova on Dec. 19 was in overtime, so we won't count that one.
The Badgers' other three losses have come by an average of 23 points per game. They lost to No. 10 BYU 98-70, fell to No. 13 Nebraska 90-60, and dropped a 74-63 contest to TCU, a game they trailed by as many as 19 points.
Gard's team has allowed a few games to slip away this season, resulting in some lopsided losses.
Always plays Purdue tough
The series between Purdue and Wisconsin has been extremely tight over the last 15 years. The two teams have played 26 times, with each winning 13 games. If you look at the previous 10 matchups, it's still a 5-5 split.
In eight of the last 10 games, the result has been decided by eight points or less. Three of those matchups have been decided by one possession. The two outliers came in 2020, a 70-51 win for the Boilers, and last season, a 94-84 victory for the Badgers.
Purdue and Wisconsin have had some tight battles over the years. Will we see another one on Saturday night?
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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