Purdue fell out of first place in the Big Ten for the first time this season following the Boilermakers' third consecutive defeat, 57-53 at Wisconsin on Thursday night.
Narrow defeats to Ohio State (by one) and Michigan State (by three) didn't give much reason for alarm, but a third-straight loss should be a wake-up call for a Purdue team that for much of the season has been one of the best teams in the country. The Boilermakers didn't look the part at Wisconsin, getting outplayed by the home team for most of the final 10 minutes of the game.
The upset win and the court-storming excitement all came on the night where Wisconsin was honoring Frank Kaminsky. The 2015 National Player of the Year was in the house while the NBA is on its All-Star break, and the current Badgers had special shooting shirts with Big Frank's name and No. 44.
Magical night in Madison.
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 16, 2018
First @FSKPart3's 44 is raised to the rafters. Then, @BadgerMBB knocks off No. 6 Purdue and the fans take the floor: pic.twitter.com/GNLbanSabm
It's been a really tough season for Wisconsin, so this game is one that Greg Gard can point to the rest of the season as validation that his team can hang with anyone in the conference.
Winning. Is. Fun. 💦🙌#OnWisconsin pic.twitter.com/UyupaRWyyO
— Wisconsin Basketball (@BadgerMBB) February 16, 2018
Losing a few games in a vacuum isn't going to change what Purdue can accomplish this season. The No. 1 seed in the conference tournament might be gone because of the head-to-head losses against Ohio State and Michigan State, but the Boilermakers can still win the crown in New York and secure a favorable seed for the NCAA Tournament.
But it's not just the loss that's concerning or even the opponent. Purdue has lost some of the edge it had developed in its 12-0 start to league play. The energy, the ball movement and the overall efficiency on offense is lower now than it was during that undefeated tear. Recapturing that edge is now the most important key to Purdue reaching its ceiling when it matters the most in March.