Source: David Berding / Getty
[Minneapolis, MN]- Top seeded Purdue is out of the Big Ten Tournament.
Fifth seeded Wisconsin upset the Boilermakers 76-75 in overtime. The loss stops Purdue’s hopes of being back-to-back tournament and regular season champions.
Early in the game, Purdue took an 8-2 lead through nearly four minutes of play. Wisconsin slowly came back on the offensive side of the floor, getting within four. They would cut the lead down to three at 14-11, then one at 15-14. The Badgers first lead came with 8:43 left in the first half, 22-21. Purdue would get down by five, before cutting the lead to one. Trey Kaufman-Renn would tie the game up at 36-36 at the half.
In the second half Myles Colvin would give Purdue back the lead at 39-36. After jumping out in front 43-40, Purdue’s defense would allow a three pointer by Max Klesmitt to once again tie up the Boilermakers and Badgers. Purdue retook the lead 45-43 thanks to Zach Edey’s layup with 15:24 left. AJ Storr would again tie the game at 45-45 and take a 47-45 lead later. Purdue battled back after tying the game at forty-seven all, then taking a 49-47 lead. Both teams would trade leads throughout the second half.
With Purdue leading 65-62 and twenty-six seconds left, a costly mistake by Zach Edey gave Wisconsin a chance. Edey took the inbound pass from the baseline, facing full court pressure. He proceeded to attempt a wide-open pass to the far side of the court, but Wisconsin’s defensive pressure forced Edey to throw the ball out of bounds. Now back on offense, Chucky Hepburn fired a shot inside the arch to cut Purdue’s lead to one at 65-64. Steven Crowl would foul Edey on the ensuing inbound, sending him to the free throw line. Edey would convert the first but miss the second. After rebounding the miss, Wisconsin drove across half court and called a timeout. With just three seconds left in regulation, Hepburn again came up big with a buzzer beating layup to force overtime.
In overtime, the only way Purdue scored was by free throws. Wisconsin however, continued to rain in shots. With forty-one seconds left in overtime, Wisconsin trailed 75-74. A costly charge foul on Braden Smith, his fifth, allowed the Badgers to take back possession of the ball, find Klesmitt, and take a 76-75 lead with eight seconds left. Purdue drove down with Lance Jones, but a wayward three ended the Boilermakers’ Big Ten Tournament run.
Zach Edey, who became Purdue’s all-time leading scorer, led in scoring once again with twenty-eight. Edey also had eleven rebounds for a double-double. No other Boilermaker would score in double figures. Purdue’s bench only accounted for thirteen in the loss.
As a team, Purdue shot 45.1% from the field, 31.3% from the arch, and hit 24-32 free throws. Another blemish on the Boilermakers offense, as been the case all season, was the turnovers. Purdue committed sixteen turnovers to Wisconsin’s five. The Boilermakers were also outscored in the paint 38-26.
While the tournament run is over for Purdue, they will get another chance once Selection Sunday comes and the NCAA Tournament begins.
