MADISON -- Defending home court and looking to extend its winning streak, Wisconsin hosted Rutgers at the Kohl Center on Sunday afternoon.
Behind a balanced scoring effort, UW earned its 10th conference win of the season over the Scarlet Knights.
BadgerBlitz.com’s “Stat Pack” series takes a look at the numbers to see how the Badgers won their fourth straight game.
Potter comes off bench, leads Wisconsin in scoring
Let Sunday’s game be an example of how much of an impact Micah Potter is capable of having. The 6-foot-10 junior scored a season-best 18 points and fell just one rebound short of a double-double. Potter led Wisconsin in points and rebounds in the victory, and when Nate Ruevers was on the bench, he owned the paint on both ends of the court.
Potter was not yet eligible to compete the first time Wisconsin played Rutgers. The junior said that he wanted to help UW win the rebounding battle this time around.
"I was going to try to initiate the physicality,” Potter said. “If you let them [Rutgers] get going, they are going to take advantage of it and play physical.”
Potter didn’t just find success under the hoop, though. He also went 4-4 from three-point range as well.
Reuvers hot in the first half, cold in the second
Reuvers scored 14 points in the first period and it looked like Rutgers had no answers for the big man. But, thanks in large part to Potter’s success, the forward played 12 minutes in the second half and only scored three points.
“I was just trying to play hard and score inside. They were hacking a lot, so I just pump faked and drew some fouls,” said Reuvers on his play.
Reuvers struggled to convert on some open shots around the rim, converting just four field goals on 13 attempts.
“Nate will finish better around the rim. I thought he had some good looks there,” Greg Gard said.
Pritzl's production aids Wisconsin's offese
Brevin Pritzl’s ability to create his own shot is something the Badgers will need in March. The senior shooting guard scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. In Sunday’s win over Rutgers, Pritzl proved that he can do more than just catch-and-shoot.
Pritzl made some mid-range jumpers and even caught a lob from D’Mitrik Trice on an out of bounds play.
Trice dishes out career-high nine assists
Trice only scored eight points, but he still played 34 minutes of high-quality basketball. The 6-foot guard had a career-high in assists with nine.
“I think sharing the ball has been the biggest thing for our success on the offensive end. I think we have passed the ball really well over the last couple weeks,” Trice said when asked about what led to Wisconsin’s great offensive performance Sunday.
Badgers clinch victory at the foul stripe
When Rutgers made a late-game push, Wisconsin was able to keep the lead by knocking down free throws.
“They made free throws down the stretch. They don't ever miss those opportunities,” said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell.
As a team, the Badgers shot 76 percent from the free-throw line, making 20 out of their 26 attempts.
