Wisconsin/Purdue: Pivotal Match-up for Badgers

For the second time in a month, the Wisconsin Badgers will face the Purdue Boilermakers and the Michigan State Spartans in back-to-back games.

Wisconsin enters the game against Purdue Thursday night at Mackey Arena only two games behind MSU for the conference lead.

The Badgers have surpassed expectations, and are almost certainly NCAA tournament bound.

So why I am I still having misgivings about this squad?

For one thing, the game against Purdue is on the road, and Wisconsin will be without Forward Jon Leuer.

In the game against the Boilers at the Kohl Center, Leuer only scored four points. However, he was effective in slowing Purdue's inside game. Jajuan Johnson, Purdue's center, had only seven points, while forward Robbie Hummel contributed 13. Hummel averages over sixteen points a game, while Johnson averages over 14 per contest.

While Leuer wasn't scoring much, he did play the game with a fractured wrist and pulled down 10 rebounds, which matches his second-highest total of the season.

In Leuer's absence, Keaton Nankivil will be called upon to slow Johnson, and either Tim Jarmusz or Ryan Evans can be expected to man up on Hummel.

This creates a huge matchup problem for the Badgers, leaving Jarmusz, who has been exposed defensively at times this season, trying to slow down a man who has a definite height advantage.

Wisconsin Will Win If...

Its perimeter shooting improves—Keaton Nankivil shot a whopping seven three-pointers last week against Michigan, and made none of them. He only shot one the next game, he missed it as well, but he wasn't alone.

The Badgers have shot an atrocious 14-56 from the three-point line over their last two outings. If I'm Matt Painter, I say "three-two zone all day boys," and make the Badgers try and beat me from the perimeter.

It has 20-plus bench points—Rob Wilson and Ryan Evans, this means you. The Badgers have had less than 20 points off the bench in all four of their losses, and less than 15 in three of those four.

Purdue has a stout defense and will have an effective game plan for slowing the Badgers' starters, but if Wilson and/or Evans can spark something off the bench, the Badgers will be in this at the end, and that is the best you can hope for in a Big Ten road game.

It finds a way to contain E'Twan Moore—Moore scored 24 against the Badgers on Jan. 9, and if he does that again, the Badgers will have no chance. They need to force Purdue to take perimeter shots, rather than letting the guards slash and score.

This next seven days will be a deciding factor in where the Badgers place in the conference's pecking order by the end of the season.

Notes

Jordan Taylor continues to excel in the assist/turnover department. Against Michigan, Taylor had six assists and no turnovers, bringing his totals to 69 assists and just 18 turnovers on the season.

Bo Ryan reached his 100th win in Big Ten conference play, reaching the century mark in just 140 games. That ties him with legendary Indiana coach Branch McCracken for second on the list behind only Bob Knight who reached the milestone in just 131 contests.

Was it just me, or did Trevon Hughes' step-back three with a hand in his face against Michigan bring back memories of Alando Tucker?

The return date for big man Jon Leuer still remains unknown.