March 1, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) drives to the basket while Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Image Wisconsin and no. 15 Purdue is both an NCAA Tournament clincher and has no chance of winning the Big Ten regular season title with Michigan already holding that crown.
But both teams have something to play for in the team’s regular-season finale Saturday afternoon in West Lafayette, Ind., in their second meeting of the season.
With both teams sitting at 13-6 in league play, the Badgers (21-9) and Boilermakers (23-7) are competing for a spot in the top four of the league standings, which would mean three wins in the Big Ten tournament.
Having a 5 or 6 seed means having to play extra games.
Entering Thursday, Wisconsin and Purdue were battling Nebraska (14-5) and Illinois (14-5) for the remaining top four seeds in the conference tournament behind No. 1 Michigan. Michigan State (15-4) already has a top-four seed and could secure a two-seed spot as well.
For Purdue, this matchup will have special meaning as it will be the final home game for a decorated senior class that includes Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn.
A win over the Badgers would give Purdue’s senior class the record for most conference wins of any class in Big Ten history. That matches the 59 wins of Purdue’s 2024 and 2025 senior classes and Indiana’s 1977 and 1978 classes.
“It’s easier to grow up with people you play a lot with when you’re young, and you can grow through them,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “You know that constant fact. Those guys have been great. They’ve always answered the bell. Sometimes we struggle like everyone else.
“Those guys are always there the next day to watch film or figure out a problem. They take extra pictures, they do extra work, and they’ve been great representatives of the university.”
Purdue won the first meeting in Madison on Jan. 3, 89-73, by 20 points over Loyer. Wisconsin was just 4 of 25 on 3-pointers.
Wisconsin is looking to continue its good run with five wins in its last seven games. The Badgers beat the host Boilermakers 94-84 last season.
“We have to get after Royer and hopefully not allow him to hit too many 3-pointers,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said.
Wisconsin earned a 78-45 win over Maryland in its home final on Wednesday, but there was a concerning development.
Nolan Winter, the team’s third-leading scorer (13.3 points), left in the second half with an ankle injury.
Gard wasn’t immediately sure how serious the injury was, but was optimistic it wouldn’t be a major problem for Winter.
“With the early signs, we hope we can avoid the worst,” Gard said.
This game features three of the Big Ten’s best guards.
Wisconsin has a dynamic duo in Nick Boyd (20.0 ppg) and John Blackwell (18.1 ppg), while Purdue has Smith, who is second in the nation with a team-high 14.7 points and 8.7 assists per game.
–Field level media
