From start to finish Sunday afternoon, No. 22 Wisconsin showed the Big Ten world that the race for the conference title is far from over.
Behind 23 points and 12 rebounds from junior forward Mike Wilkinson, the Badgers (10-4 Big Ten, 19-6 overall) dominated their rematch with Purdue, 82-46, giving its seniors a win in their final home game in Madison.
Notching their 28th consecutive win at home and finishing the regular season undefeated at the Kohl Center during conference play, the Badgers were simply too good in all facets of the game while tallying their tenth conference victory of season.
Dictating tempo defensively and silky smooth on offense, the Badgers tallied 19 assists to the Boilermakers' seven while also forcing 14 turnovers and only committing seven themselves.
\Well, that had a huge impact on the game and it's something that we always talk about,"" UW Head Coach Bo Ryan said. ""You've seen it at practice. We put the ball to the floor. The only turnover in the second half is a pass that Devin attempts that was a little shaky, and I'm being nice. I sure liked the other plays that were made, especially finding guys with the bounce pass. Devin made some great bounce passes. Zach had a couple, I think Clayton. It was good ball movement. Good passing and catching. It's still a fundamental that you can never be completely efficient at.""
The 36-point win for the Badgers is the most lopsided victory for either team in their storied rivalry, dating back to 1906, and is UW's largest margin of victory to date this season.
Jumping out of the gates with five points from Wilkinson, the Badgers grabbed momentum early and never looked back. Building as much as an 11-point lead in the first half, UW allowed Purdue to get within a point on two occasions, but never allowed them to establish any continuity or consistency on the offensive side of the ball. The Badgers, in fact, did not allow the Boilermakers to attempt a single free throw during the opening 20 minutes and Purdue did not shoot its first free throw until 14:51 remaining in the game.
Behind the physical effort of Wilkinson, who snatched eight offensive rebounds in the game, the Badgers as a team not only controlled the paint but the entire floor-hustling for loose balls, converting on fast breaks and taking charges like it was nobody's business.
""What can you say, a double-double, he [Wilkinson] performed well and we had nobody that could stop him,"" Purdue Head Coach Gene Keady said after the game. ""He did a nice job with his footwork, battled and was competitive. He had three assists and two turnovers, and to me, that's probably bigger than the rebounding, because it means he can handle the ball. The greatest thing Wisconsin does is take care of the basketball.""
After being up eight at the break, the Badgers came out in the second half red-hot, connecting on 19 of its 33 attempts from the field. Holding Purdue to six field goals and 27.3 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes, the Badgers were able to not only control the game, but also incorporate all the players on the team, healthy and able to play.
On top of Wilkinson, junior guard Devin Harris added 16 points amidst chants from the crowd to stay ""one more year,"" while junior forward Zach Morley and sophomore guard Boo Wade pitched in eight. Wade also dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds while not turning the ball over once the entire contest.
""I would think that for the Wisconsin basketball fans out there, to be able in the last week of the season, to still be talking about the conference championship, that's not all bad,"" Ryan said. ""Our guys put themselves in the position by the way they played. For us it was a very important win because it was against a very good team that plays the way teams are going to play that we are going to face here on out.\
