Wisconsin Badgers
Purdue
Five Things to Know: UW vs. No. 15 Purdue
March 05, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Badgers close regular season at Mackey Arena
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin men’s basketball team looks to knock off No. 15 Purdue in the regular season finale at Mackey Arena on Saturday in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Badgers can vault the Boilermakers and secure the No. 5 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with a win, though they can rise into the triple-bye as the No. 4 seed, should results fall UW’s way.
Saturday’s tipoff is set for 3 p.m CT. Fans at home can watch on CBS as Spero Dedes and Jim Spanarkel have the call, or listen to Matt Lepay and Brian Butch on the Badger Radio Network.
SENIOR SEND OFF
The Badgers cruised by Maryland, 78-45, on Senior Night Wednesday at the Kohl Center. It was the largest win for UW this year. Braeden Carrington led the way with 18 points, draining four three-pointers. Three other Badgers got in double figures as John Blackwell added 16 points , Nick Boyd had 13 and Austin Rapp 11. Senior Isaac Gard checked in late, hitting a three from the sideline logo that erupted the Kohl Center. UW allowed just 45 points, the fewest allowed since a 65-41 win over Virginia on Nov. 20, 2023. Bucky also had zero turnovers in the first half for the second time this season, and improved to 18-3 when hitting 10-plus three-pointers.
PROTECTED THIS HOUSE
Wisconsin finished the season 15-2 at home and have gone 29-5 (.853) at the Kohl Center over the last two seasons. It's15 home wins matches the team’s highest win total since 2019-20. The Badgers have won at least 15 home games for the 12th time in program history, and the fourth under Greg Gard. UW’s record of 389-75 in the Kohl Center is the 10th-best all-time home record in the country among active venues. The 2025-26 slate was highlighted by a win over No. 8 Michigan State back on Feb. 13, and an early-season rout of in-state rival Marquette.
AMONG THE GREATS
In just three seasons, junior John Blackwell has quickly risen into the Wisconsin greats conversation. He’s up to 1,380 career points, passing Jon Leuer (1,376, 2008-11) for 20th-place on Wisconsin’s all-time scoring list. He has connected on 164 career three-pointers, moving into 16th-place on the Badgers all-time ledger. On Wednesday, he scored in double figures for the 24th time this season, and 68th in his career. Blackwell is up to 18.1 points, 4.8 assists, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game this season. He’s chasing an elite group of at least 19 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg and 1 spg, with only eight Big Ten players reaching this mark since 2000 - all eight were All-Americans.
CAN'T CATCH YOUR BREATH
The Badgers have continued to race by opponents this year, boasting the No. 3 tempo in the Big Ten at 68.9 possessions per 40 minutes. They average 11 fast break points per game, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and a three-point increase from last season. On Wednesday, UW outscored Maryland in fast break points 25-0. Wisconsin’s 25 points were its most on the fast break in Big Ten play this year, and second-most overall aside from their 32 against Providence on Nov. 27. Since the transfer portal era began, Bucky has consistently increased their tempo, ranking 337th in 2022-23 before moving up to 304th in ‘23-24, 149th in ‘24-25 and now 93rd this season.
AGAINST THE BOILERS
The Badgers and Boilermakers will meet for the 182nd time on Saturday, with the Badgers winning two of the last three meetings. Purdue took the first matchup this season, 89-73, in Madison on Jan. 6. Since then, it’s been a tale of two sides. The Badgers are 12-4 following the loss, and have the nation’s 4th-highest rated offense, according to BartTorvik.com. The Boilermakers have gone 10-6, dropping two of their last three contests. Purdue beat Northwestern in a thriller on Wednesday, going on a last minute 6-0 run to beat the Wildcats, 70-66.
