Purdue vs Wisconsin prediction, college basketball game preview, how to watch: Tuesday, March 1
Purdue vs Wisconsin How To Watch
Date: Tuesday, March 1
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Venue: Kohl Center, Madison, WI
How To Watch: ESPN
Record: Purdue (24-5), Wisconsin (23-5)
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Purdue vs Wisconsin Game Preview
Why Purdue Will Win
Win this, beat Indiana, and Purdue is at worst the Big Ten co-regular season champion.
That actually doesn’t mean much of anything in a tournament-crazed sport, but it still looks nice on a t-shirt.
Things were rolling along just fine with nine wins in ten games before the offense fell flat with a thud in the 68-65 loss to Michigan State on Saturday.
The O hit just one of nine threes and the defense was less than stellar. The latter was the norm, the former was an anomaly.
Even with the threes not showing up, the Boilermakers were still in the game late because they were hitting everything else on the inside.
They weren’t themselves – there were too many turnovers, they couldn’t find a groove, and again, this is a much, much better team from three than it showed.
However …
Why Wisconsin Will Win
Wisconsin was able to beat the Boilermakers in West Lafayette in early January even when the Purdue threes were falling.
It might not always be pretty, but the team stepped its game up in a big, big way over the last two weeks since the loss to Rutgers. It’s not like the literal fight with Michigan took the team up a notch, but it certainly was a galvanizing moment.
The offense is hitting from the outside, the overall shooting has been a whole lot better, and the defense has been fantastic at guarding the three – three of the last four teams failed to get to 30% from three.
No, Wisconsin can’t get into a shootout if Purdue goes off, but …
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What’s Going To Happen
The Badgers win the Big Ten regular season title – at least a share of it – with a win over Purdue. They take it outright no matter what with a win and then hits the layup against Nebraska.
The Kohl Center is going to be a thing.
It’s not like Wisconsin is unbeatable at home, but it’s more like it’s not getting Purdue on its home floor. The Boilermakers are almost untouchable in Mackey … almost.
They’re 15-1 at home, and that 1 was against Wisconsin.
This won’t be anything beautiful, but the Badgers will battle back after getting down fast.
Purdue will come out running and rolling. It’ll hit a few threes to establish that the Michigan State debacle is over, and then it’ll all slow down.
Wisconsin will chip away at the lead, clamp down late, and it’ll survive with one big late shot and one more defensive stop.
Purdue vs Wisconsin Prediction, Lines
Wisconsin 76, Purdue 72
Line: COMING, o/u: COMING
ATS Confidence out of 5: COMING
Must See Rating: 5
5: Romy
1: Michelle
