The disappointing 2009 Big Ten campaign for the Wisconsin Badgers continues, as they dropped their fifth straight game Tuesday night. This time, Purdue was the culprit. The Badgers now fall to 12-8 overall, and a terrible -- by Badgers' standards under Bo Ryan -- 3-5 mark in conference play. Most disturbing to Wisconsin has to be the fact that they've lost two of these games at home. Followers of the Big Ten will remember that, heading into this season, you just don't go into the Kohl Center and win. It's now happened in two consecutive games.
As for the game itself, the Badgers definitely had themselves in position to win. They held a 56-51 lead with just over three minutes to play. In the next two minutes, however, the Boilermakers made 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions (Keaton Grant, Chris Kramer, and Robbie Hummel) to put Wisconsin behind for the first time in six and a half minutes. Despite a few late buckets, the Badgers could never muster a tie again.
If you are Wisconsin, you'd love to get a win when hitting 11-of-18 from three, but you can't let the opposing team shoot 58 percent from the floor in your house. That just won't get it done, especially when defense is your forte.
Looking ahead, Wisconsin will visit Northwestern this weekend. Traditionally, that's been a cake-walk, but this year I'm not so sure. Yes, the Badgers waxed them in Madison by 29, but they haven't won a game since. Northwestern, meanwhile, recently took down Minnesota and won at Michigan State. With the five-game losing streak weighing heavily on Wisconsin, this is no easy task. If they can't get it done in Northwestern, they'll have the chore of trying to break a six-game losing streak against Illinois at home the following week.
For Purdue, this was a huge win. The Boilers keep pace with Illinois, a game behind Michigan State in Big Ten play. They'll host Michigan Saturday in what is an easily winnable game for this team. After starting league play with consecutive losses, Matt Painter's troops have now rattled off five straight wins, including impressive road victories over Minnesota and Wisconsin. Along with Illinois and Michigan State, they make up a formidable trio atop a surprisingly stout league.
