Now squarely in the fourth month of their season, the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team have turned heads all season. With a match-up at the No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday afternoon, the Badgers have the opportunity to put the entire county on notice, once-and-for-all.
Picked by most of the media to finish near the bottom of the Big Ten, the 19-5 (9-4 Big Ten) Badgers have made those preseason predictions look laughable. They started the season 8-0, putting themselves in the national spotlight with an early-season win over the then No. 9 Arizona Wildcats.
And after losing three straight games in mid-December, Wisconsin has rattled off seven straight wins, and ten out of their last twelve. In mid-February, Wisconsin has put itself in a prime position to go on a run for the Big Ten title, and what they certainly hope for, more.
But for as successful as their season has been thus far, their early season win over Arizona has been their only ranked victory. Against Purdue on Saturday, the Badgers are determined to change that.
Taking down the disciplined Boilermakers in their raucous home-court environment of Mackey Arena certainly won’t be easy. Head coach Greg Gard and his squad know that much.
Purdue currently holds a 19-6 record (11-3 Big Ten) and is second in the Big Ten. After a season last year that featured a trip to the Final Four and national championship game, Purdue has adjusted smoothly to life without superstar Zach Edey.
This year’s Purdue squad has showcased the blazing duo of point guard Braden Smith and forward Trey Koffman-Renn, who have terrorized their opponent’s defenses all season long. Their deadly connection has led to fruitful results: 19 points per game for Koffmann-Renn and 8.6 assists a game from Smith.
“Braden Smith is one of the best passers in the country, so they have great chemistry in that pick-and-roll,” forward Steven Crowl said at a press conference Thursday. “Koffman-Renn has made himself a great player and is showing it this year.”
And with shooters such as guard Fletcher Loyer, the Boilermakers can spread and punish their competition. Loyer, averaging 13.8 points per game on a 45.1 3-point percentage, is Purdue’s most notable 3-point shooter, but Koffman-Renn shoots the 3 at a 42.9% clip, with Smith sitting at 39.2. Together, the trio can blaze offensive paths in multiple ways, making them a frustrating team to defend.
But Purdue won’t be the only team on the floor Saturday with an offense that can attack in a multitude of ways. Playing a faster brand of basketball, Wisconsin’s offense has exploded, averaging 81 points per game. On any given night, Wisconsin can beat you with their formidable guard duo of John Tonje (18.6 ppg) and John Blackwell (15.3 ppg) alongside their big-man combo of Nolan Winter (10 ppg) and Steven Crowl (9.3 ppg), or a combination of both.
With a top-to-bottom lineup capable of hitting 3-pointers, Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in 3s made per game. But focus too much on defending the 3-ball and Wisconsin, with two seven-footers and guards that aren’t afraid to slash, will surely punish you inside. And at the free-throw line, where the Badgers shoot 84.1%, they rank first in the country. Altogether, this has possibly created Wisconsin’s most well-rounded offense in years.
The similarities between Wisconsin and Purdue, however, don’t end with their dangerous offenses. As Gard pointed out at his Thursday press conference, both programs have been classic models of consistency during a period which features enormous change in the sport.
“I mean, you’re looking at two programs here that have traditionally, the last 25, 30 plus years, been as consistent as anybody in our league, along with Michigan State,” Gard said. “It’s more about understanding who you are and who you are not as a program, and continually striving towards that,” he continued.
Gard’s comments put in perspective not only the success that the two schools have had over the last two decades, but also the magnitude of Saturday’s matchup. With two programs that have consistently set the bar of success in the Big Ten set to battle, the stakes will naturally be high.
Facing the class of the Big Ten, Gard’s group will look to provide proof that their preseason overlookers were dead wrong, and in doing so, springboard their already impressive season to new heights.
