Game review: No. 2 Purdue 75, No. 6 Wisconsin 69

Purdue vs. Wisconsin final box score

MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team blew an 18-point lead at Nebraska on Thursday and in the process the Badgers lost their grip on first place in the Big Ten.

Sunday, however, presents the perfect opportunity to bounce back.

Sixth-ranked UW plays host to No. 2 Purdue at noon. Then winner leaves the Kohl Center with first place in the conference standings.

This marks the second time in three seasons that Wisconsin and Purdue enter the matchup ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll.

The showdown has the making of a game to remember and you can follow the action here with our in-game blog.

Wisconsin trims 10-point lead to two but can’t get over hump

The Badgers came up empty on three of four possessions after Tyler Wahl’s bucket cut the Purdue lead to 59-57 with 3:48 to play and never recovered.

The 75-69 victory allowed the Boilermakers to extend their lead to 1 1/2 games over the Badgers in the Big Ten.

Graduate student guard Lance Jones led Purdue with 20 points. Braden Smith, a sophomore guard, finished with 19 points. Senior center Zach Edey posted 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.

Wahl finished with 20 points on 10 for 16 shooting for the Badgers plus grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists. AJ Storr added 14 points.

Check jsonline later this afternoon for more on the game.

The team final stats

Tyler Wahl misses badly on three but cleans up own mess

Tyler Wahl is filling the stat sheet this afternoon. With 3:48 to go he has 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks.

He has hit nine of 14 shots. His only three-point attempt led to his highlight of the day as he soared into the paint to grab the offensive rebound and score the putback.

The bucket cut Purdue’s lead to 59-57 with 4:46 to go.

Crowl picks up fourth foul, Nolan Winter on the spot

Steven Crowl did a good job of avoiding foul trouble in the first half. In the second half, however, the junior has picked up three fouls and went to the bench with 8:03 to go and the Badgers down, 56-51.

That means UW is going to need some quality minutes on the defensive end from freshman Nolan Winter down the stretch. Zach Edey, who has 11 points, had his way with that matchup to this point.

Efficient start to second half gives Purdue double-digit lead

Purdue extended its lead to as many as 10 points during the first 8 minutes of the second half. The Boilermakers’ efficiency fueled the stretch. They hit seven of their first 11 shots of the second half and averaged 1.33 points per possessions. That is a little better than the first half when they averaged 1.214 points per possession. Anything more than one point is ideal.

Zach Edey has six points during the run. He has hit all three of his attempts including a lob for a dunk over freshman Nolan Winter. Lance Jones also has six points and is tied for his team’s scoring lead with 13 points at the 11:47 mark of the second half.

Perfect first half for Max Klesmit

Junior Max Klesmit came into the game on a hot streak and that continued in the first half.

He led the Badgers with 10 points, hitting all four of his shot attempts. Two of those came from three-point range.

His hot start could be good news for UW since he’s been a second-half player of late. He is averaging 13.2 points during the second half of the last six games.

UW trailed, 34-32, at the break

Steven Crowl making Zach Edey work in the paint

Zach Edey had five points on 1-for-4 shooting in the first half. Give Steven Crowl a lot of credit for that.

At 7 feet tall Crowl is the Badger best equipped to handle the matchup. In the first half he did a nice job of making Edey shoot over that big frame and Edey couldn’t get his jump hooks to fall.

The best part of Crowl’s work on the defensive end is that he did it without fouling. He finished the first half with just one foul and that didn’t come from defending Edey.

A look at the halftime statistics

Purdue is doing well on the glass and getting to the free throw line. UW is getting into the paint and scoring.

Badgers getting hammered on the boards

Purdue leads, 28-24 with 5:37 left in the first half. The Boilermakers' work on the glass is a big reason. They have seven offensive rebounds that have led to 11 second-chance points.

It should surprise no one that Zach Edey is hurting the Badgers most in this regard. He has three offensive rebounds and four plays have at least one.

The Badgers were losing the battle of the board, 15-7, at this point.

UW getting everyone involved

Wisconsin leads Purdue, 17-14, with 11:38 left in the first half. The Badgers are shooting 58.3% (7 for 12) and 50% (2 for 4) from three-point range.

UW has only trailed briefly.

One of the team's keys has been balance. Nine players have seen action so far. Seven have at least one point or one assist. Max Klesmit is leading the way with five points and one assists. Tyler Wahl has four points and two assists.

You need to arrive early to get a front row seat in the student section

How early do you have to get to the Kohl Center to get one of the front row seats in the student section? The answer for Sunday’s game was late Saturday night.

Temperatures in the low 30s didn’t stop students from camping out by the student entrance to the arena. By the time the doors opened at 10:30, the line of students stretched well down Dayton Street toward Camp Randall Stadium.

We found three guys who explained why camping out was so key to their in-game experience.

What time does Wisconsin men’s basketball play Purdue?

The Badgers (16-5, 8-2 Big Ten) face the Boilermakers (20-2, 9-2) at noon at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

What channel is the Wisconsin-Purdue basketball game on?

The game will be broadcast on CBS or it can be streamed through the CBS Sports or Paramount Plus app. FUBO offers a free trial.

If you want to hear the call from Matt Lepay and Brian Butch, tune into to FM- 97.3 or AM- 920 in Milwaukee. The Badgers Radio Network can be heard statewide.

More: What channel is Wisconsin vs. Purdue on Sunday? Time, TV, streaming

How has Wisconsin fared against Purdue?

The game will mark the 187^th meeting between the programs. Purdue owns a 112-74 advantage, but Wisconsin has won three of the last five contests. Each of those five games were decided by five points or fewer.

Historically the series has taken on a drastically different look during the Kohl Center era. UW, which is 51-39 at home all-time against the Boilermakers, has defeated them in 14 of 20 meetings played at the Kohl Center.

Zach Edey plays big vs. the Badgers

When it comes the Boilermakers, it should be no surprise that 7-foot-4 senior Zach Edey has been the thorn for the Badgers. He is averaging 19.8 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists in four games against UW.

Edey has recorded double-doubles in scoring and rebounding in the last two matchups. He hit 7 of 9 shots and finished with 17 points and 13 boards in the teams’ last meeting, a 63-61 victory at the Kohl Center last season.

A look at how the rest of the Big Ten fared this weekend

SATURDAY

Penn State 85, Indiana 71

Minnesota 75, Northwestern 66

Rutgers 69, Michigan 59

Michigan State 63, Maryland 54

SUNDAY

Purdue at Wisconsin, noon.

Nebraska at Illinois, 5:30 p.m. (BTN).

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin men's basketball vs. Purdue score, live updates