Wisconsin Scouting Report

Since Purdue beat Wisconsin in Madison, the Badgers have a 3-5 record with road loses to Michigan, Rutgers, Indiana, and Iowa. In their final game of the season, they face the hardest test that the Big Ten has to offer, a road game against Purdue where the Boilermakers have a 27-3 record over the last three seasons. Yet, to get a win on Sunday would be a massive momentum swing as the NCAA tournament approaches.

Wisconsin's Offense

Player Profiles:

#2 - AJ Storr

Storr is as impressive an athlete in the Big Ten outside of Terrance Shannon and possibly Roddy Gayle. He is an aggressive scoring, leading the team in shot attempts and second in free throw attempts. In transition, he is ultra aggressive going towards the rim to draw fouls or finish, he especially loves driving left.

In the half court, Wisconsin use him to handle the ball in the pick and roll, to post up, or to cut off the ball. Staying in front of him without putting him on the free throw line will be a necessity if Purdue wants to win in Madison.

#22 - Steven Crowl

The Junior big man has improved every season and has cemented himself as the best offensive center outside of Zach Edey. He does a majority of his scoring in the post where he can finish with his right or left hand going towards the middle. His perimeter game is center around popping to the three point line where he has shot a high percentage on lower volume. If teams double him, he is an extremely potent passer finding cutters for easy layups. Purdue will start Trey Kauffman-Renn on Crowl and focus on denying Crowl the ball.

#5 - Tyler Wahl

An extremely physical forward, Wahl blends his drives and post ups to self create opportunities at the rim. On the perimeter, his shooting has been non-existent with only seven three pointers attempted. It is key to match his physicality for the entire game, Wahl gives Wisconsin great effort and production.

#11 - Max Klesmit

Klesmit has been red hot during conference play, maintaining a staggering 70.1% true shooting through ten games. He gets nearly all of his three pointers off of the catch but has also been on fire in the mid range this season. Purdue has struggled with similar players to Klesmit, namely Ty Berry and Keisei Tominaga. It will be very important for Purdue to limit Klesmit's three point opportunities.

#23 - Chucky Hepburn

As more of a scoring guard, Hepburn is simultaneously shifty and physical. Bullying smaller guards in the post while also being more aggressive driving the ball this season. On his drives, he love misdirection, going to his right to left crossover a lot in these situations. Because of his struggle shooting the ball, I expect Purdue to be more focused on stopping his drives and forcing semi-contested jumpers.

#25 - John Blackwell

Coming off the bench, Blackwell is a well rounded cutter, shooter, and driver. Purdue needs to stay aware of him, staying solid with their defensive positioning to make his decisions harder.

#3 - Connor Essegian

An extremely talented shooter and cutter, he puts pressure on defenses with exceptional movement. Although, he has been greatly limited in terms of minutes which stunts his impact of the game. Purdue's guards need to be glued to him to limit his space, looking force him into a crowd.

Wisconsin's Offensive Sets/Motion

Pick and Roll Motion

Crowl Post Up

Wisconsin's Defense

Man to Man Principles:

• On Ball - They never leave their feet and are opportunistic reaching at the ball

• Off Ball - Guards are staying tight to their man, offering slight gap help

• Ball Screens -

  • Drop coverage with the guard going under or over

  • Drop coverage, but with gap help (similar to IU)

  • Hard hedge with the other big tagging the roller

• Post - Big playing straight up with the guards crashing down on Edey

• Rebounding - Four defenders crashing to secure rebounds

How Purdue Can Attack Wisconsin

• Attacking drop coverage with Smith pull ups and getting the ball to Edey on the roll

• Purdue driving into open space and testing Wisconsin's one on one defense (Essegian + Storr)

• Shooting threes against Wisconsin's closeouts

• Offensive rebounds by Purdue bigs hitting rebounds to the perimeter for the guards to secure

Keys to the Game

Wisconsin:

1. Make Purdue's guards navigate a ton of screens to open up threes

2. Get Storr in space to attack the rim and force Purdue to foul

3. Forcing turnovers by crashing on top of Edey and using gap help tp limit Smith's drives

4. Limit Purdue's offensive rebounds and second chance points

Purdue:

1. Loyer and Jones getting hot going into March - Both guards shooting 5+ threes

2. Production outside of Smith and Edey -A lot of opportunities for Trey Kaufman-Renn

3. Purdue winning the frontcourt battle - Holding Wisconsin's big to less than 25 points,

4. Keep Storr out of the paint - Purdue forming a "wall" against Storr