The best two in the Big Ten will meet on Sunday afternoon, with the always feared Purdue heading to Madison to take on Wisconsin.
If not for Thursday’s disastrous loss between Wisconsin and Nebraska, this matchup would have been a dominant one in the conference.
After the Badgers led by 18 points, the Huskers fought back in overtime to win.
Meanwhile, Purdue has won six straight games and is at the top of the Big Ten. They fended off Northwestern in overtime Wednesday.
According to KenPom, Purdue boasts the No. 1 offense in college basketball, which is no surprise.
Zack Eady is on the verge of becoming an unstoppable force.
He commits more than nine fouls per 40 minutes and ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in nearly every metric.
The way to slow down Edie is to double-team the 7-foot-4 Goliath.
But he’s a strong enough passer to kick the ball back to the perimeter where open shooters await.
According to ShotQuality, the Boilermakers also rank within the top 20 in shot selection, with nearly 30 percent of all Purdue 3s being open.
Your opponent just has to hope the 3S doesn’t drop.
That almost happened last season in Madison, where Purdue held off the Badgers 63-61.
In that game, the Boilermakers shot just 21% from the field and Eady had 17 points and 19 rebounds.
This is nearly the same roster Purdue had a season ago, with the exception of Lance Jones, who transferred from Southern Illinois.
His presence is a much-needed addition to the Boilermakers’ backcourt, which is struggling with too many physical guards.
Wisconsin will try to slow this game down and stop it. Purdue’s defense won’t force turnovers, and the less physical guards will allow players like AJ Storr to create turnovers.
According to KenPom, the Badgers’ offense ranks seventh overall and is above average in nearly every metric.
problem? The majority of their offense comes from inside attacks and contact.
The Badgers play well in the pick-and-roll and midrange, but Purdue is well-equipped thanks to 7-4 Edy.
He is incredibly quick and able to make adjustments for a giant.
Storr is the driving force behind Wisconsin’s offense, making over 34 percent of his shots from the floor.
He’s shooting over 38 percent from deep in conference play and is coming off back-to-back 28-point performances. He will be key to keeping the Badgers within striking distance.
The problem for the Badgers is defense.
Wisconsin has been fighting back at an elite level, but has struggled to contain opponents from long range.
They rank 308th in 3-point defense, and against Nebraska we saw how quickly the team can fight back against the Badgers.
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Wisconsin was able to neutralize teams like Michigan State, Iowa, and Indiana. This is because these teams are not good at long-range attacks and aim to attack inside.
But Purdue isn’t trigger-shy, especially with Eady commanding double teams on every play.
In fact, the Boilermakers are fifth-best in the country (40.4%).
A lot of that has to do with how good Braden Smith and Fletcher Royer were in their second seasons.
Both players are shooting over 42.5 percent from deep this season.
All of this means the Boilermakers are favored to be short-term favorites come Sunday afternoon.
Purdue and Eady have far more paths to success than Wisconsin, which struggled defensively.
If you want to move away from the side, you can also look to the under here.
The University of Wisconsin will do everything in its power to keep the game as slow as possible to limit the damage caused by Eadie.
But in the end, Edy is inevitable.
