Purdue is now in charge of the Big Ten after roughing up Wisconsin: Takeaways
The Boilermakers needed to be UW on Sunday in order to be considered a Big Ten title hopeful
College basketball's most meaningful result from Sunday probably came via West Lafayette, Ind. No. 20 Purdue had its way over No. 13 Wisconsin in what could turn into a pivotal outcome in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers won 66-55 and in doing so eliminated the last undefeated team in the Big Ten standings.
Yes, that's right. We're merely three games into conference play in the Big Ten, and already every team has taken a loss. (Rutgers and Ohio State, which has a road game to be completed at Minnesota on Sunday night, are the only winless teams in the Big Ten.)
Purdue's now 14-3; Wisconsin is 13-3. Here are three extensive takeaways from the game.
1. Matt Painter has Greg Gard's number
Gard took over the Wisconsin program on an interim basis last season before getting the full-time gig. He's coached three times against Painter and lost all of them by an average of 9.3 points. One of the hallmarks of Wisconsin basketball for the past 15 years has been the program's ability to make opponents adapt to their style and to nullify mismatches with grade-A X-and-O coaching. But Painter's a creative basketball mind himself, and he's got a number of balanced lineups he can put on the floor. It now looks like Purdue is just a bad matchup for Wisconsin. The Boilermakers can go small, can go big, can create issues with Nigel Hayes having to guard Caleb Swanigan. It's an interesting thing to watch.
The Badgers started well in this game -- it was a good back and forth to start -- but then they went cold, and Purdue reveled in the home-court environment. Purdue was all over the glass, which of course has become an expectation of this team. Had the Boilermakers not been prone to turnovers in the first 20 minutes, the lead would have been even bigger.
Swanigan, by the way, went for 18 points and 13 rebounds -- basically his average so far this season. The guy continues to put up tremendous stats. He leads the country in double-doubles and a whole lot more.
2. The game turned on a missed layup
With the score 40-36, Wisconsin's D'Mitrik Trice had a layup opportunity to make it a two-point game. The gimme went wrong, and from there Purdue went rolling. The Boilermakers went from a 40-36 game to a 52-36 difference in a span of less than four minutes. It all got away from Wisconsin in a hurry.
And I have to note that, especially on the road in league play, little things like that can wind up being a significant reason why a team loses. Trice missing a layup is not why Wisconsin lost. But had it gone in, and in the midst of a UW run, the game's ripple effect play out differently. Instead, Purdue didn't need to call a timeout and ripped off a 12-0 run to seal the victory.

3. It's harder to look better in a double-digit loss than Ethan Happ did
I know Wisconsin fans -- and many Big Ten fans -- are plenty aware of Ethan Happ's talent at this point. But the sophomore still seems to just be scratching the surface. He went for 17 points, six steals, five rebounds and four assists in the loss. ... And I don't know if college basketball will have another five players this season who put up a game with at least 17 points, six swipes, five boards and four dimes. It's not an amazing line, but it's balanced, and Happ was having his way often. Plus, look at this. Nigel Hayes works with Happ on the screen-and-roll.
Name me two other power forward/stretch forward combos in the country that could pull this off.
This is a power forward passing with his off hand. pic.twitter.com/Ayy73x9cqv
— Big Ten Geeks (@bigtengeeks) January 8, 2017
So that's the bright spot for Wisconsin. The loss isn't awful, and in fact Purdue was favored, but Happ and Hayes continue to show up as a top-five players in the league.
Wisconsin's next game is Thursday against a hobbled but desperate Ohio State team. I think the Badgers should show up sharp for that one, but keep an eye. Could be closer than some think. As for Purdue, the Boilermakers will probably vault ahead of Wisconsin in Monday's polls, and they'll play Thursday at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have been up and down this season, but that's going to be a test for Purdue as a legitimate top-15 team. If you're the best in the Big Ten, I think you win that game over a 10-7 Hawkeyes team that was pushed at home by Rutgers on Sunday.
















