Meet the Opponent: Wisconsin Marks Road Finale for No. 5 Purdue Basketball
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue basketball faces its final road test of the season on Thursday night when it travels to Wisconsin for a 9 p.m. ET matchup at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
The No. 5-ranked Boilermakers have already clinched at least a share of the 2022-23 Big Ten regular-season championship with an overall record of 24-5, which includes a 13-5 mark in conference play. However, they have lost four of their last six games.
The team is coming off a heartbreaking 79-71 loss to then-No. 17 Indiana on Saturday at Mackey Arena, marking the first time Purdue has been swept by its in-state rival since 2013.
The Badgers, who defeated the Boilermakers last season on their home court to secure a share of the league title, are just 16-12 overall with an 8-10 record against Big Ten opponents this season. They suffered an 87-79 overtime loss at Michigan on Sunday.
Wisconsin had a strong start to the 2022-23 campaign, winning its first four games before losing by just one point to Kansas on a neutral court in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament back on Nov. 24.
After the loss, the Badgers rattled off wins in six of their next seven games, including a huge road win over Marquette, 80-77, on Dec. 3. But they have struggled since the start of conference play, losing six of their first eight against league opponents.
With a more defensive style, Wisconsin ranks 13th in the Big Ten in points per game at 65.1 but is holding other teams to just 63.4 points per contest, which ranks fifth in the conference.
The Badgers are shooting 35.6 percent from the 3-point line this season, good for fourth in the league, and have made the second-most attempt from beyond the arc.
The team's backcourt duo of Chucky Hepburn and Conner Essegian are both averaging 12.1 points per game, with Steven Crowl and Tyler Wahl putting up 11.6 and 11.2 points per contest in the frontcourt, respectively.
Hepburn, however, suffered a lower-body injury against the Wolverines and did not return to the floor. His status for Thursday's game is uncertain.
The group is led by coach Greg Gard, who is in his eighth season at the helm for Wisconsin. He has a 160-90 overall record with the program, including a 92-60 mark in the Big Ten.
2022-23 Wisconsin Badgers Lineup:
Projected starters
- G Chucky Hepburn: 12.1 ppg, 3.0 apg, 3.0 rpg, 43.2 3-point FG pct
- G Conner Essegian: 12.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 38.4 3-point FG pct
- F Steven Crowl: 11.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.7 apg, 49.3 FG pct
- F Tyler Wahl: 11.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg
- G Max Klesmit: 7.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg, 39.2 3-point FG pct
Key backups
- G Jordan Davis: 5.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 32.2 3-point FG pct
- F Carter Gilmore: 2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 43.0 FG pct
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.