The top spot in the Big Ten will be at stake when No. 2 Purdue visits No. 6 Wisconsin on Sunday as the Badgers look to rebound from an upset loss.
Purdue (20-2, 9-2 Big Ten) avenged one of its two defeats with a 105-96 overtime win over visiting Northwestern on Wednesday, scoring 24 points in the extra session.
Wisconsin (16-5, 8-2) lost 80-72 in overtime at Nebraska on Thursday, blowing a 16-point halftime lead to drop a half-game back of the Boilermakers.
Zach Edey had 30 points and 15 rebounds to pace the Boilermakers against the Wildcats, despite going just 8 of 17 from the free-throw line. Lance Jones added 26 points, hitting 5 of 7 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
The 7-foot-4 Edey moved into fifth place on the school’s all-time career scoring list with 2,047 points. Dave Schellhase is fourth at 2,074 points. Edey also set a school record by scoring in double figures for the 73rd straight game and tied a school record with the 54th double-double of his career.
“He’s a special player,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “He plays hard and he gives his best. You know, he doesn’t pick his spots. A lot of times when you have guys that are that big and carrying that much cargo, they’ll pick their spots. But he runs the court, he plays ball-screen defense, he rebounds, he posts hard. He gives it to you.”