WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue men’s basketball wanted to send its seniors off with a win and enter the postseason with some momentum.
Instead, the No. 14 Boilermakers again could not defend well enough to beat another NCAA Tournament-level team at home. Wisconsin won 97-93 to close the regular season.
Here’s what I liked and disliked, and what the loss means.
What I liked in Purdue basketball’s loss vs Wisconsin
Fittingly, a senior stepped up and changed the game. Fletcher Loyer created a turnover and dove on the floor to secure the loose ball, then converted an and-1 at the other end. After another stop, Loyer hit a corner 3 to cut the Wisconsin deficit to 61-60. At the other end, he took a charge, leading to the possession where Braden Smith’s bucket reclaimed the lead.
Wisconsin had pushed its five-point halftime lead to 10. Purdue (23-8, 13-7 Big Ten) needed that surge to keep victory within reach.
Loyer’s 3-point percentage has not kept up with his exceptional pace of the past two seasons. It was certainly boosted by his 6-for-9 day en route to 23 points. His final one broke the Purdue career record for 3s made.
∎ Purdue does not need to guess about what kind of defensive team it can be. It saw it for about 90 seconds Saturday. In that first-half stretch, it forced four turnovers and another desperation 3 at the end of a shot clock. It came out of the 13-1 run with a nine-point lead.
Not long after, Wisconsin began its shooting clinic. It’s difficult to reconcile how Purdue so tangibly improved its rebounding and added rim protection, yet still goes into the postseason with essentially the same defensive performance profile as a year ago.
∎ After a couple of rough games, Daniel Jacobsen showed some renewed toughness in his reserve role. He contributed seven points and three rebounds in the first half, so Cluff did not need to be exposed to a potential third foul.
What I disliked in Purdue basketball’s loss vs Wisconsin
The season began with conversations about whether Purdue could defend well enough to win games if it struggled to make shots on a given night. Entering the postseason, the conversation leans toward whether it can defend well enough to beat NCAA Tournament teams even when it shoots well.
Boilers helping on high hedges kept creating wide-open 3-point opportunities for Wisconsin, and it seemingly hit them all over the final eight minutes or so of the first half. It made 10 of 13 in one stretch. That included a 19-8 run while pulling into the lead.
The Badgers averaged 1.625 points per possession in the first 20 minutes. It’s why they went into halftime with a 52-47 lead despite Purdue shooting 53.8% from 3 and grabbing nine offensive rebounds.
∎ Purdue missed an opportunity for multiple historical marks. The seniors missed their chance to tie the Big Ten record with 59 victories as a class. Purdue also could have won the program’s 400th Big Ten game.
What Purdue basketball’s loss vs Wisconsin means
Purdue went into the game with an outside chance at the 4 seed in next week’s Big Ten Tournament. A win would have assured no lower than the 5 seed. Instead, the Boilers could fall as low as 7 depending on other results this weekend.
That’s hardly the biggest problem this team faces as it enters the postseason. Saturday extended a narrative which has followed this team the entire second half of the season. It will need to win in March in spite of its defense, because it cannot win because of its defense with any regularity, even within the same game.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Seniors didn’t get help needed in last game at Mackey in Purdue basketball loss vs Wisconsin
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
