No. 2 Purdue wins 7th in a row with 75-69 win at No. 6 Wisconsin – Chicago Tribune

Written by: STEVE MEGARGEE (AP Sports Writer)

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) — Purdue’s inside-outside combination of Zach Edey and Braden Smith is a tough matchup for the Boilermakers’ opponents.

Even the strongest ones.

Smith scored 19 points and Edey joined another exclusive club as the second-seeded Boilermakers beat sixth-seeded Wisconsin 75-69 on Sunday for their seventh straight win. Purdue is 6-0 this season against teams ranked 11th or higher at the time of play.

“We have an elite point guard and an elite center,” coach Matt Painter said. “So when you get on a team, you have to be able to game plan for Zach Edey. It’s obvious, isn’t it? But you also have to make a game plan for Braden Smith and his passing ability because they both make other people better.”

Lance Jones scored 20 points for Purdue (21-2, 10-2) as they took the lead for good midway through the first half and extended the Big Ten lead to 1½ games.

Wisconsin (16-6, 8-3) suffered its second straight loss as it prepares for a two-game road trip to Michigan and Rutgers.

Edey played with 18 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. The 6-foot-10 center, who combined for 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 200 blocks while shooting at least 60%, has 201 career blocks in NCAA history, joining Patrick Ewing and David Robinson.

“These are elite, elite basketball players, Hall of Famers,” Edey said. “Of course, it is great to be remembered in the same atmosphere as them. I kind of want to continue working. I’m not just saying, ‘Oh, I can tell my grandchildren I did this.’ I want to continue. “I want to continue to become a better basketball player every year.”

Edey scored at least 10 points in an NCAA-leading 74 games. Edey broke Rick Mount’s 54-year-old school record by scoring 30 points in a 105-96 overtime victory over Northwestern on Wednesday.

Tyler Wahl led Wisconsin with a season-high 20 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

This was the sixth consecutive Purdue-Wisconsin game to be decided by six points or fewer. The teams will meet again at Purdue on March 10.

Purdue took a good lead midway through the first half and increased the lead to 10 with about 14 1/2 minutes remaining.

Wahl grabbed an offensive rebound off his own missed three-point attempt to cut Purdue’s lead to 59-57 with 4:46 left. Edey then missed a second one-on-one opportunity in the second half, but Mason Gillis grabbed the offensive rebound to set up Jones’ layup with 4:15 left.

Wisconsin trailed 66-61 on a midcourt steal by Chucky Hepburn with 1½ minutes left, but the Badgers were unable to turn the turnover into points. Jones then attempted a layup with 59 seconds left to give Purdue all the breathing room it needed.

“They’re really complete,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. “They have a lot of parts. We have a lot of parts. But it’s clear that Zach is the one who makes the difference. You can’t copy or simulate that.

BIG PHOTO

Purdue: The Boilermakers won this game by outrebounding Wisconsin 42-29 and outrebounding the Badgers 21-14 in second-chance points. Edey grabbed six of Purdue’s 14 offensive rebounds. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen at returning the ball,” Painter said. “You always think it’s going wrong, then you go back and watch and see that he’s only 7 inches taller than the guy. “For someone carrying this type of cargo, the effort is incredible.”

Wisconsin: The Badgers hurt themselves, shooting 3-of-19 from 3-point range. Although AJ Storr scored 14 points, he shot 4 of 15 overall and 0 of 4 from beyond the arc.

SURVEY IMPACT

Purdue will remain in 2nd place. The Badgers may have trouble staying in the top 10.

NEXT

Purdue: Hosts Indiana on Saturday.

Wisconsin: At Michigan on Wednesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball