This Saturday the No. 11 Wisconsin men's basketball team (6-0 Big Ten, 16-2 overall) hopes to extend its impressive 10-game winning streak against the Purdue Boilermakers (5-1, 14-5) in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue has shown great potential with notable victories over then-No. 20 Louisville and Ohio State, and very close losses to then-No. 18 Clemson and No. 10 Michigan State. Since losing by just three to the Spartans in their second game of Big Ten play, the Boilermakers have rattled off four consecutive victories over Big Ten opponents.
After Purdue finished 9-19 and last in the conference in its 2005-'06 campaign, last year's Boilermakers bounced back with a 21-11 record.
In the NCAA Tournament, the Boilermakers had a 72-63 victory over Arizona before losing to national champion Florida in the tournament's second round. This season, Purdue returned no starters from last year yet is currently in fourth place in a competitive Big Ten conference.
The young squad is led by sophomore guard and leading scorer Keaton Grant who has put up 12 points per game to go along with three rebounds.
Following Grant, the Boilermakers have balance with three freshmen hovering around 10 points per game: guard E'Twaun Moore, and forwards Scott Martin and Ryan Hummel. Hummel also leads the team in rebounding and assists with six and three, respectively.
For the Badgers, junior forward Marcus Landry has been in the zone as of late, scoring in double figures in five of Wisconsin's last six games. This game will have significance for Landry, as he faces his older brother Carl's alma mater. Last year, the two brothers played head-to-head in the Kohl Center during Carl's senior season, a 69-64 Wisconsin victory.
After a sluggish start, senior guard Michael Flowers seems to have re-discovered his shooting touch with three consecutive games in double figures. In those contests, Flowers has shot a combined nine for 15 from behind the three-point arc.
However, it will be imperative for Flowers to pick up his play defensively on Grant after giving up 26 points Tuesday to Michigan freshman guard Manny Harris.
As always, Wisconsin will try to keep up its intensity on defense. Wisconsin leads the Big Ten in scoring defense and is among the nation's leaders in this category. They have surrendered more than 70 points only once this season and have held opponents to an average of 55 points since the start of Big Ten play.
Purdue is averaging 71 points per game since the beginning of Big Ten play, second best in the conference. A key for Wisconsin's defense will be limiting Purdue's athletic frontline, especially on the boards.
In their last game against Michigan, the Badgers gave up 21 offensive rebounds resulting in 22 second-chance points. This was a major reason why the game stayed so close throughout.
Saturday's game will begin at 3 p.m. at Mackey Arena.
