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m e n ' s b a s k e t b a l l boilermakers pull shocking upset BY BRIAN NEUBERT BNeubert@GoldandBlack.com PURDUE 69, No. 17 WISCONSIN 56 March 3 • Kohl Center In as improbable a win as the Boilermakers have maybe ever recorded, struggling Purdue took down Big Ten contender Wisconsin at the daunting Kohl Center, where the Badgers never lose. Wisconsin's lost just 11 home games since 2001, with Purdue now claiming three of them. The Boilermakers were just the third unranked team to do it. "I thought we did a lot of little things," Coach Matt Painter said. "For us, it really starts with our effort. If we can do other things well, it helps us be efficient offensively. I know that doesn't technically tie together, but for the group we have, if we can play hard, hustle, if we can battle, it gives them more confidence to play well." Purdue did indeed battle, turning a 13-point first-half deficit into a 13-point win. In so doing, it played some of its finest defense of the year in throwing Wisconsin off its game, forcing it to miss its final 18 three-pointers and shoot FLASH FORWARD Game: Michigan Location: Mackey Arena When: 7 p.m., Wednesday Notables: The No. 4 Wolverines are coming off a thrilling win over ninth-ranked Michigan State Sunday afternoon, earning them a season split with their arch-rivals. ... Prior, Michigan was on the wrong end of the most stunning upset of the college basketball season to date when it lost at Penn State, which was winless in the Big Ten prior. ... Michigan is second to Indiana in the Big Ten in scoring, field-goal percentage and three-point shooting. ... Point guard Trey Burke is the Big Ten's second-leading scorer at 18.9 points and its assists leader at 6.9. Bo Ryan's teams. Wisconsin finished with only six offensive rebounds. "I thought we did a good job when a shot went up," said senior D.J. Byrd, who grabbed eight rebounds, nearly a career high. "A lot of times a couple Wisconsin guys weren't crashing the boards. They were getting back on D, so we knew we weren't going to have to box out to go get the ball. So I thought (Rapheal Davis) did a good job going to get the ball, so did Terone and I Andy Manis (Johnson), Rapheal Davis was one of several Purdue guards who attacked the thought we blocked boards, pulling down seven rebounds to help gain an edge. out pretty good for the most part 40 percent overall. The Boilerand that's what we makers dominated the boards needed to do to get a win here." 39-27, always a key component Key player to success against Badger coach There are three, none of whom can be a put over the other. Byrd scored a season-hightying 22 points on 6-of-9 threepoint shooting and played with distinct urgency, like you'd expect from a senior. Terone Johnson, just a few days after hurting his ankle at Iowa and sitting out Friday's practice, scored 16 points, with seven boards and four assists in 37 minutes. Sandi Marcius, meanwhile, might have been Purdue's most important player, playing outstanding post defense and playing really hard, all while scoring 10 points and securing critical rebounds in the game's closing minutes. He also grabbed three steals. Key stretch Purdue used a 19-3 secondhalf run, fueled by six consecutive points from Terone Johnson and two Byrd threes, to go from down nine at 17:16 to up nine at 9:36. Key stat The rebounding differential is too crucial not to mention again. It was a true total team effort as five Boilermakers grabbed five or more rebounds, paced by GoldanDBlack express • volume 23, express 24 • 6