Pritzl sparks Wisconsin off the bench in win over PSU

MADISON, Wis. - Penn State coach Pat Chambers spent a short time dissecting No. 19 Wisconsin’s 61-57 win on Saturday against the Nittany Lions.

Chambers said that reserve player Brevin Pritzl had an impact.

“Pritzl was the difference,” Chambers said of the redshirt junior guard, who tied a season high with 17 points. “Good for him. He’s shooting at a very high clip.”

Pritzl shot 5-of-5 from the field and drained 4 of 4 baskets from 3-point range in 25 minutes. He also made 3 of 4 free-throw attempts to help Wisconsin snap Penn State’s three-game losing streak.

Not only did Pritzl score a team high, the double-digit scoring performance was his first since Wisconsin’s 72-66 win at Iowa on Nov. 30.

Pritzl admitted that he wasn’t in a shooting zone, but was energized by his teammates.

“I was just feeding off of everybody else,” Pritzl said. “Ethan (Happ) got me going in the first half. He got me a good ball hit in the corner and then I kind of just followed Brad. Every time Brad drove, my guy was looking to help.“

"I kind of just snuck around, get the open spots (and) hit the shots.”

You can count Happ as one of the many people who is a huge fan of Pritzl’s talent and potential.

“Any time Brevin hits a shot (the bench) is yelling ‘Stay hot’ because he’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen,” Happ said. “I tell him all the time, ‘Stop passing the ball, shoot the ball.’”

Pritzl is cognizant that his assistance will be needed during the post season, no matter how many minutes he plays. March is a critical point in the season to make the most of his minutes.

“March, this is about depth now,” Pritzl said. “We want to be able to take it easy on starters, make sure they don’t have to be wearing their bodies down in every game. It’s on me, Kobe (King), Charlie (Thomas), Aleem (Ford) – guys off the bench."

“We’ve got to provide the energy to take a load off of them, so when it comes down to crunch time, they’re ready to perform.”

Wisconsin only turned the ball over one time in the second half against the Nittany Lions to secure their 20th victory of the season. Badgers coach Greg Gard said Pritzl’s contributions were critical in the outcome.

“He sparked us, there’s no doubt,” Gard said. “He’s done that for us at various times during the year. Brevin making shots, that’s a big contribution.”