Purdue Boilermakers vs Wisconsin Badgers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/03/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 3, 2026

Venue:  Kohl Center, Madison, WI 

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Purdue -8.5, Wisconsin +8.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Purdue -8.5, Wisconsin +8.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Purdue -8.5, Wisconsin +8.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

Purdue Boilermakers:  12-1 (2-0) (4th place, Big Ten)

Wisconsin Badgers:  9-4 (1-1) (13th place, Big Ten)

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Purdue Boilermakers:  4-1  last 5

Wisconsin Badgers:  3-2  last 5

Purdue is entering this game with a 12-1 record overall, a 2-0 record in conference games, and they are 2-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Kent State Golden Flashes in their last game. Jack Benter led the team in points in that game with 20 while Fletcher Loyer was next on the team with 19. Braden Smith led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Trey Kaufman-Renn led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 56.3% from the field, 38.7% from 3-point range, and 89.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 86.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66 PPG against them. Purdue has an ATS record of 8-5 this season and their O/U record is 4-9.

Wisconsin is entering this game with a 9-4 record overall, a 1-1 conference record, and they are 8-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Milwaukee Panthers in their last game. Nicholas Boyd led the team in points in that game with 16 while Nolan Winter was next on the team with 14. John Blackwell led the team in assists with 4 in that game while Nolan Winter led the team in rebounds with 7. They were 49.1% from the field, 18.2% from 3-point range, and 62.5% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 73.2 PPG against them. Wisconsin has an ATS record of 6-7 this season and their O/U record is 7-6.

The current betting odds have Purdue listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Purdue has looked great in their games this season with their 12-1 record overall and their 2-0 conference record which has them right near the top of the Big Ten. They have been a good road team this season too with their 2-0 road record so far. Meanwhile, Wisconsin has looked good in their games this season with their 9-4 record overall, but their 1-1 conference record has them in the bottom half of the Big Ten. They have looked great on their home court though with their 8-0 home record this season. Wisconsin has been rolling in their games lately with 2 wins in a row now, but they are off a win over Milwaukee in their last one and they are still only 3-2 in their last 5 games. They already have a conference loss under their belt on the road and even though they are at home for this one, they are playing against one of the best teams in the Big Ten and the entire nation. Wisconsin wasn't competitive in their conference loss either, losing to Nebraska by 30, and they don't have the talent to compete with top teams in the conference right now. Purdue has been rolling in their games lately as they are 4-1 in their last 5 games and have won 4 games in a row now. Their only loss was a really bad loss to Iowa State, but that isn't a bad team and they have been chasing the number 1 rank since that loss. Purdue is going to play this game with a chip on their shoulder and they aren't going to hold anything back against a Wisconsin team that couldn't compete with Nebraska. The best way to place a bet here is on Purdue to cover the spread in this game. 

Purdue Wisconsin Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 3, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Purdue 82 Wisconsin 70.

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Purdue Boilermakers: 20-12 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 19-10 ATS after scoring 85 points or more. 9-2 ATS after a game where they made 55% of their shots or better. 25-17 OVER vs. good free throw shooting teams - making 72% of their attempts or more.

Wisconsin Badgers: 6-11 ATS off a home blowout win by 20 points or more. 2-7 ATS at home versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 27-15 OVER in all home games. 16-7 OVER as an underdog.

Purdue Boilermakers:  None.

Wisconsin Badgers:  None.

"We just had one bad half. We didn't have a bad first half against Iowa State; we had one bad half. I think a lot of that had to do with how good they are, and we turned the ball over 10 times. We didn't help ourselves defensively, because they were playing in transition." - Matt Painter on his team this season. 

“We don’t have guidelines or rules, or we’re making them up as we go. We’re kind of all fending for ourselves. It’s survival of the fittest.” - Greg Gard on the state of college basketball.

O. Cluff 

C. Cox 

T. Kaufman-Renn 

F. Loyer 

B. Smith

J. Blackwell 

N. Boyd 

A. Rapp 

A. Rohde 

N. Winter

PPG: Trey Kaufman-Renn (14)

APG: Braden Smith (9.5)

Reb/G: Trey Kaufman-Renn (10.2)

PPG: Nick Boyd (19.2)

APG: Nick Boyd (3.2)

Reb/G: Nolan Winter (9.2)

Coaches:

Purdue Boilermakers: Matt Painter (21st season)

Wisconsin Badgers: Greg Gard (11th season)