Wisconsin vs Purdue Basketball: Final Score & Game Thread (March 7, 2026)
Wisconsin Upsets No. 15 Purdue with Record-Breaking Three-Point Performance
– In a stunning upset at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, the Wisconsin Badgers defeated the No. 15 Purdue Boilermakers 97-93. Wisconsin’s victory was fueled by a record-breaking performance from beyond the arc, sinking 18 three-pointers – a new school record.
The Badgers (22-9, 14-6 Big Ten) secured the win despite an early surge from Purdue, who jumped to a 22-13 lead with a 13-0 run. However, Wisconsin quickly responded, capitalizing on their three-point shooting prowess to take control of the game.
John Blackwell led the Badgers with 25 points, including five three-pointers. Nick Boyd added 23 points to the Wisconsin tally. The team’s impressive shooting display included 12 three-pointers in the first half alone, even while playing without forward Nolan Winter, who was sidelined with an injured left ankle.
Purdue (23-8, 13-7 Big Ten) saw a strong performance from Fletcher Loyer, who scored 23 points and broke Carsen Edwards’ school record with his 282nd career three-pointer. Braden Smith contributed 20 points and nine assists, while Trey Kaufman-Renn added 17 points. It was the first time in nearly 14,000 days and 135 games that Purdue scored over 90 points and lost, with the last such defeat occurring against Iowa State on November 24, 1987.
The game saw several lead changes in the second half. After Purdue briefly regained the lead at 62-61, Wisconsin answered with back-to-back three-pointers from Aleksas Bieliauskas. When Purdue once again took a lead at 73-72 with a three-pointer, Wisconsin responded immediately with another three-pointer and never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Wisconsin finished the game shooting 56% from the field (29-52) and 53% from the three-point line (18-34). They also shot 88% from the free-throw line (21-24). Purdue shot 51% from the field (34-67) and 44% from beyond the arc (11-25), while making 74% of their free throws (14-19).
The Badgers had 22 rebounds to Purdue’s 34. Wisconsin committed 8 turnovers, while Purdue had 7. Wisconsin led for 59 minutes of the game, compared to Purdue’s 28 minutes. The largest lead of the game was 10 points, held by Wisconsin.
Both Wisconsin and Purdue now await the Big Ten Tournament pairings, which will be released on , to determine their opponents and schedules for the tournament in Chicago next week.
The referees for the game were D.J. Carstensen, Brian Dorsey, and Jeffrey Anderson.