BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MADISON, Wis. — A couple of perimeter sharpshooters bridging different eras — from Back in the Day (Jon Bryant) to the Here and Now (
Brevin Pritzl) — were brought together Sunday at the Kohl Center.
The photo op materialized following Wisconsin's 70-57 win over Ohio State. While Bryant and Pritzl had never met before, they have some common ground: the 3-point arc.
The 43-year-old Bryant, whose long-distance firepower helped fuel the Final Four run of 2000, gladly posed with Pritzl, and noted, "Maybe we have a similar style or something, I don't know."
Pritzl knew.
"I knew he was THE guy," he said after pacing the Badgers in scoring with 19 points (5-of-6 3-pointers) against the Buckeyes. "Didn't he win the Most Outstanding Player award in the regional?"
Swish.
Bryant was named the MOP of the four-game West Regional after averaging 16.8 points and shooting 50 percent from the field (23-of-46) and the 3-point line (18-of-36).
In the first-round victory against Fresno State, he nailed seven 3-pointers — including a triple on four straight possessions spanning 1:39 — and was named the CBS Player of the Game.
Video: 2000 Final Four Team 20-Year Anniversary
Pritzl earned that honor Sunday — the post-game CBS courtside interview — after Wisconsin bounced back from Wednesday's loss at Minnesota to complete its season sweep of Ohio State.
Sporting their throwback uniforms — turning back the clock and gear to what Bryant and his teammates wore — the Badgers seemed to get a lift from the alums in attendance.
A pre-game highlight video set the tone for the day while head coach Dick Bennett and many of his players and staff members were introduced during a halftime ceremony.
"Obviously, I was young, I was 3 when that (Final Four) run happened," said Pritzl, a UW grad student from De Pere, Wisconsin. "But I still know about the history being from Wisconsin.
"It's the tradition for me. Everybody is kind of ingrained in that same DNA. To see how that translates through the years, it was a really cool opportunity to be able to talk to him (Bryant)."
During their brief on-court conversation, Bryant shared some history with Pritzl.
"I was just talking to Brevin how we were on the ropes that year (2000) and we weren't even sure that we were going to make the tournament," said Bryant, the second-year head coach at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, his alma mater in Plymouth, Minnesota.
"And then we went on a run late in the Big Ten season and that carried into the NCAAs. The Big Ten was really good that year as well and it was just a grind every single game. Like I said we felt like we were on the ropes, but we just kept plugging away and it worked out. It's all about when you get hot."
Pritzl can relate to the ebb and flow from a shooter's perspective. After going scoreless at Minnesota (0-of-7), he got hot in the first half against Ohio State, making all three of his 3-pointers, two of which came during a game-changing 26-5 run that staked the Badgers to a 38-20 halftime lead.
The momentum swung dramatically when Ohio State center Kaleb Wesson went to the bench with his second personal foul at 7:58. When he left the game, the score was tied, 15-all. When he returned to the floor with 66 seconds remaining in the half, the Buckeyes were down by 13.
"He's a big body in the post that makes it hard to score," Pritzl said of the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Wesson who had 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first meeting in Columbus, Ohio. "When he went out, we were able to get a couple of more post-up opportunities and that really helped us get started."
Trevor Anderson scored five straight points to jump-start the UW offense.
"I always take what's given to me," said Anderson, who finished with eight points, his most since mid-December. "I don't try to force anything especially coming off the bench. I tried to get into rhythm first. Anytime you can get a guy like him (Wesson) on the bench, it's good for us."
On defense, Wisconsin clamped down aggressively on the Buckeyes who shot 32 percent (8-of-25) in the first half. It was quite a departure from the way the Badgers played against the Gophers who were able to get pretty much anything they wanted in the paint with dribble-drives to the rim.
"We had more energy and we were more locked in defensively," said Aleem Ford, one rebound shy of a double-double (10/9). "Coach Gard talked about putting them more on their heels with ball pressure and we negated some of their actions and that made them get out of their comfort zone."
Pritzl, at times, was definitely in a zone — a scorer's zone. On one of his 3-point makes, he caught the pass with his right foot on the Motion W logo in the middle of the floor and stepped into the shot from well beyond even the NBA line. He also scored in the post a couple of times with his left hand.
"He's got that capability," Anderson said. "We've seen it numerous times in practices and games. So, when he's like that you just find him the ball. Especially me as a point guard. When I get the outlet, I'm eyes up looking for him because he can get it going in a hurry."
After Ohio State scored the first seven points of the second half, Pritzl went back to work and scored Wisconsin's first five points on a post-up and 3-pointer to short-circuit the Buckeyes rally. The Badgers led by as many as 24 after intermission.
"I said in the locker room, 'The last time we were at home, we let Michigan State crawl back into the game (17-2 run)," Pritzl related. "Every team is going to go on a run and it's about limiting how big that run is going to get. Today we had to make sure to cut their water off as soon as possible.'
After failing to make a shot at Minnesota, Pritzl admitted to losing a little sleep.
"My brother and dad always say, 'Water finds its level,'" Pritzl said. "If you put in the work and the time, you're going to be able to perform on the court. I thought I was getting really good shots (against the Gophers) but it's always frustrating when you can't hit the (broad) side of a barn.
"I kind of thought about it and went back and evaluated the possessions. Coach Gard didn't yell at me, he didn't say anything was bad. He has instilled that confidence in me."
It's well justified, too. This season, the Badgers are 8-0 when Pritzl scores in double-figures.
That includes wins over Marquette, Tennessee, Michigan State and now Ohio State.
"I just want to play hard — you don't want to leave anything on the floor and say, 'Oh, I could have done this, this and this,"' said Pritzl. "Every game when I step on the floor, I'm giving coach Gard and the team as much as I can. I want to be exhausted when I go home."
He got his wish Sunday and the victory assured a good night's sleep.
