Purdue Can Take Down Wisconsin This Afternoon

Wisconsin vs. Purdue, 1:00 ET

I feel like I've been writing quite a bit lately about the Big 10. I am from the Midwest, but to be honest, this isn't the reason. I just feel like the games have been a bit more appealing, and let's be honest most of these games are more interesting than the mid-majors taking each other on. Today we have an early start time and a matchup between two ranked squads. I'm going to take the game between Wisconsin as they head into Indiana and take on the Purdue Boilermakers.

Wisconsin enters the game with a strong 19-5 record. The Badgers have lost four of their games in conference play this season. The five losses this year have come from Michigan, Marquette, Illinois, all three back-to-back-to-back in early December. They then won seven straight games after that small struggle. Their next two losses came on the road, dropping a game in California to UCLA, and in Maryland to Maryland. Still over the last 13 games, the Badgers have won 11 of the games. In that span they haven't beaten any ranked teams through. The only win against a ranked team was against Arizona in a game they hosted. As of today, Purdue and Michigan State are the only remaining ranked teams on the schedule. In this one, they will likely need a big game out of their main scoring threat, John Tonje. While the Badgers have five guys averaging nine or more points per game, Tonje has been on a tear leading them in scoring in seven of their past eight games. On the road, you always look for the best guy to get going so it loosens up the rest of the team and allows them a bit of comfort. 

COLLEGE PARK, MD - JANUARY 29: Wisconsin Badgers guard John Tonje (9) moves against Maryland Terrapins guard Selton Miguel (9) during the Wisconsin Badgers game versus the Maryland Terrapins on January 29, 2025 at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Purdue is 19-6 for the season which technically is worse than Wisconsin, but they have one more loss. However, in the Big 10 play they are still playing very well and are 11-3 to this point. Their three losses in conference play have come at the hands of a road loss to Penn State, which is a bit surprising, but the Nittany Lions won convincingly. That wasn't even the first true road game of the season for Purdue. The next two losses in the conference came at home against Ohio State in a surprising loss, and then to Michigan, Tuesday, on the road. Those two games were significantly closer with Purdue losing both of those games by a total of five points. The other losses that Purdue has had this season were against Marquette, Texas A&M, and Auburn. All three of those teams were ranked and they all came on the road or on a neutral court. I mentioned that Wisconsin doesn't have many very impressive wins, but Purdue does have some that are impressive, beating Oregon, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Alabama this season. 

Both teams are pretty good squads. I really like the way that Wisconsin plays, but I think they will struggle against some of the better teams. Purdue has been competitive in pretty much every game they've played this season with the exception of a couple early season games. I do think that Purdue is one of the teams that can make a deep run in the tournament, but likely won't win it. I'm going to take them to cover this one against Wisconsin though. 

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