WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – No. 16 Purdue takes on the Badgers of Wisconsin in the semifinal round of the Big Ten Tournament Sunday night at Energizer Park in St. Louis.
Purdue advanced to its first semifinal since 2021 after taking down the No. 21 Penn State Nittany Lions 2-1 in overtime on Thursday, scoring the team's 68th goal of the season for the winner.
Purdue heads into its eighth Big Ten semifinal, having only advanced to one Big Ten finale in its history, taking home the 2007 Big Ten Championship.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Wisconsin is having another successful season in 2026, having defeated No. 10 UCLA, the two-seed, to advance to the semifinal against Purdue. The Badgers are 11-4-4 on the season, and are 3-1-1 in their last five games. Wisconsin knocked out the No. 2-seeded UCLA Bruins in the quarterfinals of the tournament, coming on a golden goal in the first overtime period. Both of the top seeds were upset in the first round of the tournament.
SERIES HISTORY
The latest meeting between the two teams was Sept. 11, 2025 where Purdue took down the No 23-ranked Badgers 2-1 in Madison. The first matchup between the programs dates back to 1999 when Purdue fell 4-0. Purdue and Wisconsin have played 29 times in their histories with the Badgers leading the series 14-12-3.
In the Big Ten Tournament, Purdue has a 1-2-0 record against the Badgers. In the 2000 quarterfinal, the teams tied 2-2 after regulation, but the Boilers fell 5-3 on PKs. In 2005, Wisconsin defeated the Boilers 3-0, but Purdue got its revenge in 2019, taking down the No. 7 Badgers 1-0 at Wisconsin.
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