Everything Purdue coach Matt Painter said about Wisconsin basketball after Badgers big win

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Wisconsin sent a statement to the college basketball world with a 94-84 win over No. 7 Purdue on Saturday.

The nature of the win, a dominant offensive showing, is only accentuated by its place in front of a national audience, in one of the toughest places to play in the sport.

With the result, the Badgers inch closer to the top of the Big Ten and national standings. They are now just 1 1/2 games behind first-place Michigan, plus up to No. 9 in KenPom’s national rankings and No. 12 in the NCAA NET. After the team was ranked as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament selection committee’s early bracket reveal on Saturday morning, it is now making strides closer towards the elite group of Final Four contenders.

Purdue, meanwhile, takes a significant step backward with the loss. The Boilermakers have now dropped two straight games, falling from the top of the Big Ten standings in the process. They are also down to No. 10 nationally in KenPom and No. 13 in the NET — sitting one slot behind the surging Wisconsin Badgers in both rankings.

Greg Gard was complimentary of Matt Painter and the Boilermakers when meeting with the media after Saturday’s game, understanding the magnitude of the defining victory.

“Matt’s done a phenomenal job here,” Gard said. “He’s a Hall of Famer, when the time is done and the time is right. His transformation or transition from [Gene] Keady to his career. I leaned on him a lot when I took over for Coach [Bo] Ryan just because it’s not easy. He had big shoes to fill and he’s made those shoes bigger. You know, he’s stretched those shoes. And just a great respect for this program because he does it the right way. I think there’s a lot of commonalities, a lot of similarities. Why Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, year in and year out, year in and year out…We’re all going to be pretty good.”

Painter had equally high praise for the Badgers during his postgame media availability.

“I think they have a special team,” Painter said. “I told our guys, they gave you a…

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Author : Badgers Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-16 14:55:00

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