Wisconsin secured at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title for the second time in a three-year span late Tuesday thanks to Chucky Hepburn's tie-breaking, banked-in 3-pointer in the final seconds of a 70-67 victory over Purdue.
"I knew we were about to be Big Ten champs when I released it," Hepburn told reporters before cracking a smile. In truth, and Hepburn knows this, it was a lousy shot.
Wisconsin's Johnny Davis summarized things nicely.
"Hey, I'm not going to lie ... that was some bullshit," Davis said. "But it went in."
Indeed, it did.
So Wisconsin is now 24-5 overall, 15-4 in the Big Ten and conference champions for the sixth time this century. If the Badgers close the regular season Saturday with a win at home over Nebraska -- and Greg Gard's team will be a double-digit favorite in that game -- they'll be outright Big Ten champions for the first time since 2015.
Wisconsin is up to No. 7 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Purdue is down to No. 12. The Boilermakers are now just 3-3 in their past six games and on a two-game losing streak featuring back-to-back losses because of tie-breaking 3-pointers by their opponents in the final seconds of regulation. That's rough, especially considering Hepburn's shot only went in because it was so far off line that it banked in.
"It's bad luck," said Purdue coach Matt Painter.
The Boilermakers close the regular season Saturday with a game against Indiana. A win there will ensure Purdue finishes no worse than third in the Big Ten standings.
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Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga is 10-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas Tech, Texas, Saint Mary's and UCLA. The Zags are the No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Baylor is 16-5 in the first two quadrants and in possession of a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Iowa State. | -- | 24-11 |
| 3 |  | Arizona is 14-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over USC (twice), UCLA and Illinois. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Stanford. | -- | 27-9 |
| 4 |  | Auburn is 13-4 in the first two quadrants with all four losses falling in Quadrant 1. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Mississippi State. | 1 | 27-8 |
| 5 |  | Duke is 11-3 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Virginia falling in Quadrant 3. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday vs. North Carolina. | 1 | 27-9 |
| 6 |  | Kentucky is 11-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses coming in Quadrant 1 games away from home. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Florida. | 2 | 23-10 |
| 7 |  | Wisconsin is 16-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Purdue (twice), Houston, Saint Mary's and Iowa. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | 2 | 22-14 |
| 8 |  | Kansas is 15-6 in the first two quadrants with five of the six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks' next game is Thursday against TCU. | 4 | 23-11 |
| 9 |  | Villanova is 13-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Providence (twice) and Tennessee. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Butler. | 3 | 18-16 |
| 10 |  | Providence is 14-4 in the first two quadrants and Big East regular-season champions for the first time in history. The Friars are the No. 1 seed in the Big East Tournament. | 3 | 21-14 |
| 11 |  | Texas Tech is 13-7 in the first two quadrants with all seven losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Oklahoma State. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | Purdue is 12-6 in the first two quadrants with all six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Indiana. | 2 | 34-5 |
| 13 |  | Tennessee is 11-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Arizona, Auburn and Kentucky. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 27-9 |
| 14 |  | Arkansas is 10-4 in the first two quadrants with additional losses to Hofstra and Vanderbilt falling in Quadrant 3. The Razorbacks' next game is Wednesday against LSU. | -- | 16-17 |
| 15 |  | UConn is 12-7 in the first two quadrants with victories over Auburn and Marquette. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday at Creighton. | -- | 37-3 |
| 16 |  | Saint Mary's is 9-6 in the first two quadrants with a win over Gonzaga and all six losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Gaels are the No. 2 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament. | -- | 26-8 |
| 17 |  | Houston is 8-4 in the first two quadrants but still in possession of zero Quadrant 1 wins. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against Temple. | -- | 32-5 |
| 18 |  | UCLA is 10-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over Arizona and Villanova. The Bruins' next game is Saturday against USC. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 19 |  | Illinois is 12-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Wisconsin and Iowa. The Illini's next game is Thursday against Penn State. | 1 | 29-9 |
| 20 |  | Texas is 10-9 in the first two quadrants with wins over Kansas and Tennessee. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | 1 | 21-13 |
| 21 |  | Murray State is 5-1 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to East Tennessee State falling in Quadrant 3. The Racers are the No. 1 seed in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. | 1 | 12-20 |
| 22 |  | USC is 10-4 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Stanford falling in Quadrant 3. The Trojans' next game is Saturday at UCLA. | 4 | 15-18 |
| 23 |  | Alabama is 13-8 in the first two quadrants with additional losses to Georgia and Missouri falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Texas A&M. | -- | 25-12 |
| 24 |  | Iowa State is 10-9 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas Tech and Texas. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 29-8 |
| 25 |  | Iowa is 7-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Michigan State. The Hawkeyes' next game is Thursday at Michigan. | 1 | 19-15 |
| 26 |  | Boise State is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with an additional loss to Cal State Bakersfield falling in Quadrant 4. The Broncos' next game is Saturday at Colorado State. | NR | 22-11 |
In: Boise State
Out: Ohio State
