The B1G will have a new champion to crown on Sunday for the first time in 2 years!

Entering this year’s Big Ten Basketball Tournament, Purdue was looking to complete a dominant 2-year run as the outright regular-season and tournament champions. However, Wisconsin had other ideas in Saturday’s semifinal action.

The Badgers and Boilermakers battled it out from the opening tip off with neither side able to pull away. It set up a dramatic conclusion with Wisconsin making the needed shots in crunch time.

With time running down in the second half, Chucky Hepburn was able to shake free and beat the buzzer. His layup as time ran out tied the game at 66-all to force overtime.

In overtime, it was Max Klesmit who rose to the occasion with the Badgers down 1. His floater in the lane gave Wisconsin the 76-75 victory to stun the No. 1 seeded Boilermakers.

Chucky Hepburn impressively efficient in the win

Going up against Purdue’s backcourt, Hepburn produced one of his best games of the season while leading Wisconsin with a team-high 22 points. The point total alone was just part of the story in a flawless outing for the point guard.

He also shot 9-for-12 from the field and was 1-for-2 on his tries from 3-point range. Even more impressive, Hepburn did not commit a turnover while added 4 assists and 3 steals in the semifinals.

AJ Storr, Klesmit and Steven Crowl also scored in double figures, but it was the work of Hepburn that largely set the tone throughout the game.

Zach Edey dominates but doesn’t get help

For Purdue fans, Saturday’s performance was the kind of thing the Boilermakers have come to dread in March. And it has nothing to do with the performance of Edey.

The dominant big man led all scorers with 28 points while shooting 7-for-11 from the floor. He also went 14-for-19 from the free-throw line. By comparison, the Badgers shot just 9 free throws all game long while Edey added 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks to his afternoon.

Unfortunately, the rest of Purdue’s roster went quiet at the worst possible moment. Braden Smith shot just 3-for-10 from the field, and Fletcher Loyer attempted just 4 field goals all game long. Lance Jones — a player who shot 36% from deep this season — was 0-for-3 beyond the arc and 4-for-10 overall.

The Boilermakers did receive more strong bench play from Mason Gillis, but Purdue’s starters finished the loss 2-for-9 from 3-point range. That’s the kind of shooting performance that is deadly this time of year.

Wisconsin’s shot at a title

After heading to Minneapolis while trending in the absolute wrong direction, the Badgers have come alive to begin tournament play. Wisconsin has rattled off 3 straight wins against Maryland, Northwestern and Purdue, and the last two wins are against likely NCAA Tournament teams.

If Wisconsin wants to cut down the nets Sunday, the Badgers will need to beat another NCAA Tournament team by facing the winner of Illinois and Nebraska. Fans can track the latest odds for Sunday’s game with Tradition’s Ohio sports betting links and apps.

The Badgers will also be playing for a bit of history under Greg Gard. Their last B1G Tournament title came in the 2014-15 season when Wisconsin swept the regular-season and tournament titles behind B1G Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky.

The coach that season was Bo Ryan, and Wisconsin has yet to win the league tournament under Gard.