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GoldandBlack.com Purdue Basketball Game Preview: Wisconsin

On3 imageby: Brian Neubert12/29/25brianneubert

MADISON, Wis. — XXXXXXXXXXXX

DETAILS: Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 | 7 p.m. ET | TV: B1G+ (Craig Combs, Kristof Kendrick) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (10-1, 2-0 B1G): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
KENT STATE (10-2): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS

TeamAPCoachesNETKenPomKenPom Win%
Purdue559598%
Wisconsin——331322%

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• Since the second half of the loss to Iowa State, Purdue has held its past three opponents to 60 points or fewer. The Boilermakers are now 17th nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and have allowed 70 or more points only five times in 11 games this season.

• Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith were a combined 1-for-10 from three last time out vs. Auburn, yet Purdue’s team percentage increased, because C.J. Cox and Gicarri Harris were each 4-of-6 and Jack Benter 3-for-3.

• After winning its first two league games in December, Purdue resumes Big Ten play Jan. 3 when it visits Wisconsin.

ABOUT KENT STATE

• Former Boilermaker player and graduate assistant coach Tommy Luce is in his second year on 15th-year Kent State coach Rob Senderhoff’s staff with the title of assistant coach for player development.

• The Golden Flashes are 10-2, but will be playing their first-major competition of the season and the only power-conference team on their schedule. Kent State is a good team that will be a MAC contender this season, but right now its record and underlying metrics are propped up by home wins over two schools you’ve never heard of — Penn State Shenango and Roberts Wesleyan. It’s a reflection of scheduling challenges these days — Kent is one of those teams that likely has a really hard time getting quality games — but those two games accounted for 134 of the Flashes’ points this season.

• Purdue’s bigs might have their hands full with 6-foot-8, 230-pound senior Delrecco Gillespie, who’s averaging 19 points and 12-and-a-half rebounds and can step out and shoot threes. He’s been one of the top rebounders in college basketball this season, but needless to say, he has not faced a frontcourt like Purdue’s.

• Kent State shoots an excellent 38 percent collectively from three-point territory, led by Morgan Safford, who’s come off a season cut short by injury last season to shoot 39-percent from three on high volume to this point. He’s been good for 15 points a game.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

THE INTERIORDEFENSIVE MOMENTUMREBOUNDING
Purdue will want to snow Gillespie under with size and physicality and maybe wear him down by making guard, presumably Kaufman-Renn, coming off a big game vs. Auburn that could have been a monstrous game if not for fouls.Purdue just will want to keep doing what it’s doing, because it’s been terrific in its effort and cohesiveness. Kent State will turn it over if the Boilermakers do their part.There will be opponents Purdue can just hammer on the glass. This might be one of them. It’ll need to keep Kent off the offensive glass.

THREE THOUGHTS

• Purdue’s been pretty sharp in games like this. There’s never been any doubt, really, in any of these buy games. As Big Ten resumption looms, that consistency really matters.
• As conference games near again, Braden Smith‘s scoring comes to the forefront. Purdue doesn’t need him scoring 20 a game, necessarily, but it does need opponents fearing the possibility. He is perfectly OK in some games just playing for everybody else and controlling games with his brain, but when people have to guard him to score, so much opens up for him.
• Purdue’s gotten better the past few weeks, and Daniel Jacobsen‘s real-time development has been a big piece of it.

GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 83, KENT STATE 66

Purdue ended 2025 playing very well at both ends of the floor and there’s really no reason to believe it’s not sustainable. It will obviously want to re-enter Big Ten play sharp as can be.

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