Tuesday marks the beginning of pivotal stretch for No.18 Wisconsin (5-3 Big Ten, 15-5 Overall) as No.10 Purdue (7-2, 18-4) visits the Kohl Center with the Badgers trying desperately to put Saturday's disappointing loss at Penn State behind them.
Despite losing senior forward and First Team All-Big Ten selection Robbie Hummel to a torn ACL in their first practice, the Boilermakers still have one of the most talented rosters in the conference and could very well be the most difficult home test for UW thus far this season.
""They play good defense [and] they've got two first team All-American guys,"" head coach Bo Ryan said. ""So they're a good team, they've got a lot going for them.""
In order for Wisconsin to avoid losing consecutive games for the first time since January 2009, they must hold Purdue's duo of seniors, E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, in check. Much like UW's own duo of junior guard Jordan Taylor and senior forward Jon Leuer, the two leading Boilermaker scorers have not only been a key source of production themselves (38.2 PPG and 13.5 RPG combined), but have also served as the catalysts for the Purdue offense.
As with Leuer, Johnson's four years have been marked by consistent individual growth within a system tailor-made for his unique skill set.
""JaJuan Johnson is shooting the three, he's taking it in the post, puts it on the floor a little bit,"" Ryan said. ""So, you know, both of those guys are in programs where they're allowed to expand their games and do things for the betterment of the team.""
For the Badgers, senior forward Keaton Nankivil will look to make an impact against his favorite opponent. Both of Nankivil's two career 20-point efforts have come against the Boilermakers, including his memorable seven three-pointers in last year's 64-63 loss in West Lafayette. Having him as a third source of offense would be huge for a Badger offense that looked off kilter over the weekend.
With Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State set to visit Madison over the next two weeks, this four game stretch is perhaps the most important of Wisconsin's 2011 Big Ten campaign.
Purdue comes into Tuesday's match-up just a game and a half ahead of the Badgers, but with the Boilers having already gone through Minneapolis and Columbus, it would appear that a Purdue win at the Kohl Center would make it all but impossible for UW to square things up in a battle with Purdue for the No.2 seed in the conference tournament.
At 8-6, Purdue is the only Big Ten team with a winning record against Wisconsin during the Bo Ryan era. But having taken care of business at home all season, UW must continue to do so over this two-week stretch in order to remain in the conversation for the Big Ten regular season title.
