Tag: Brevin Pritzl

Wisconsin alum Brevin Pritzl scores 42 points in overtime win for his new Serbian pro team

The former Badger went off

The story for Wisconsin basketball entering 2020-2021 was that they returned nearly every single piece from a team that won the Big Ten title a year ago. There was one key loss, however, from last year to this year. Guard Brevin Pritzl graduated a season ago and decided to turn pro. His career took him first to Serbia, where he signed to play for Tamis in the country’s top league.

Through his first 12 games in Serbia, Pritzl put up averages of over 12 points per game to go along with four rebounds while starting at point guard according to EuroBasket.com.

Today, his Tamis squad took on Dynamic, and the former Badger absolutely went off. Pritzl finished with a game and career-high 42 points to give Tamis an overtime win that improved their regular season record to 8-5.

The former Badger sharpshooter is already doing big things at the professional ranks.

 

Former Badger Brevin Pritzl signs his first professional contract

The former Badger is now a pro

Wisconsin basketball returns all rotational pieces except one in 2020-21. That one loss for the Badgers is Brevin Pritzl, the sharpshooter from De Pere, Wisconsin who spent five seasons in Madison. According to his instagram, Pritzl’s dreams of being a professional hooper are now a reality.

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Pritzl will begin his professional career in Serbia with KK Tamis of the Basketball League of Serbia, the top league in the country. We do not have full information on the terms of the deal just yet.

Nine members of the Wisconsin basketball team receive academic All-Big Ten honors

After their season was cut short nine members of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team received academic All-Big Ten honors this week…

After their season was cut short nine members of the Wisconsin men’s basketball team received academic All-Big Ten honors this week.

Those players are Michael Ballard, Courtland Cuevas, Brad Davison, Carter Higginbottom, Walt McGrory, Micah Potter, Brevin Pritzl, Samad Qawi and D’Mitrik Trice.

The nine join a total of 68 winter sport athletes to receive academic All-Big Ten honors with the criteria needed to be included on the list being listed on an athletic roster, enrolled full-time for at least one year and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

The final tally of Wisconsin athletes to receive such honors stands at 168 for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Today is a graduation day 25 years in the making for former Wisconsin star Rashard Griffith

As Wisconsin student-athletes celebrate their graduation day from wherever they may be, a player that last played for Wisconsin in 1995 celebrates along with them. Rashard Griffith, 25 years after he last put on a Badger uniform, is now a Wisconsin …

As Wisconsin student-athletes celebrate their graduation day from wherever they may be, a player that last played for Wisconsin in 1995 celebrates along with them. Rashard Griffith, 25 years after he last put on a Badger uniform, is now a Wisconsin graduate.

After a standout Chicago high school career at King, Griffith arrived at UW in 1993. During 51 games as a Badger, the Illinois native averaged a near double-double with 15.6 points and almost ten boards. In 1995, the Badger star left school early to pursue his professional career. He was drafted in the second round by the Milwaukee Bucks, but ended up finding his niche overseas. Through a decorated 15-year career abroad, the former Badger played in Israel, Italy, and Turkey among other countries. Griffith won the top basketball prize outside of the NBA when his Bologna team won the EuroLeague in 2001.

Griffith made a promise to his late mother that he would eventually finish school and earn his degree. According to a recent Chicago Tribune article by Teddy Greenstein, Griffith worked closely with Athletic Director Barry Alvarez to create a graduation plan. UW has a policy that any athlete can return to school to finish their degree without any financial burden, and the former Badger big man was able to earn his degree free of charge.

The road has been long and hard, but today the Badger big man earns the fruits of his labor. Earlier this season, Griffith was able to participate in Wisconsin’s senior night along with current Badgers (although now former) Brevin Pritzl and Michael Ballard.

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The former Wisconsin star has been dealing with the tragedy that undertook Wisconsin assistant coach and his close friend Howard Moore throughout this year. Griffith has been there for the Moore family after Coach Moore’s daughter and wife were tragically taken in a car accident this past summer. A fantastic piece by Mike Lucas of UWBadgers.com details how Moore and his family made sure Griffith finished out his schooling, even after the tragedy took place.

Griffith has received national notoriety for his accomplishment under the circumstances he faced, including a special shoutout from SportsCenter anchor Scott Van Pelt.

Now, on this graduation day for Wisconsin’s class of 2020, Griffith joins his Badger family in earning his degree in community and non-profit leadership 25 years after he last played at the Kohl Center. Congratulations to Rashard Griffith and the rest of the Badger class of 2020.

 

 

The NCAA Tournament has been canceled: This was not how it was supposed to end

In a move that has felt inevitable for the last 24 hours, the NCAA has officially canceled both the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus outbreak. This did not feel like a choice being made, but rather a global …

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In a move that has felt inevitable for the last 24 hours, the NCAA has officially canceled both the 2020 men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments due to the coronavirus outbreak.  This did not feel like a choice being made, but rather a global health necessity in a time of crisis. It had to be done, but that does not make it any easier for so many of us to handle.

A 24-hour chain reaction has seen the canceling of nearly all collegiate spring sports, including those in the Big Ten Conference. After Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus on Wednesday night before the Jazz played the Oklahoma City Thunder, the NBA quickly suspended their season. With the amount of unknowns surrounding this virus and its scope in the United States nearly all major leagues and events have followed suit. The news about the NCAA tournament also comes just a day after NCAA President Mark Emmert announced that the tournament would go on, but without fans. The situation is clearly changing rapidly.

There are much bigger issues to face in the days to come than whether or not we get to enjoy basketball in March, however, that doesn’t take away from how meaningful this event is to so many of us. My first thoughts are with the seniors who get the ending that nobody deserves. Brevin Pritzl and Michael Ballard suited up as Badgers for the last time at Assembly Hall this past Saturday, and they would have never known it. Here are Pritzl’s own words:

At least he and Ballard went out on top. Wisconsin basketball gave us memories that we will never forget in the month of February and March. At least the eight-game winning streak stays in tact. This team will forever be Big Ten Champions.

There are seniors in nearly every locker room in America that will never again have the pride of representing their university on the basketball court. Every year, the crushing defeats that hundreds of seniors face in March once their season ends is heartbreaking enough. This time they had the hope of the big dance taken away before they had the chance at their one shining moment. There was nothing they could do to change that.. Then, you think of how many jobs are affected by not only the NCAA canceling their tournament, but when the entertainment and sports industries shut down. In truth, the spiral of how many lives are affected by the canceling of the tournament never ends. These games, this time of the year, this culmination of college basketball is what we wait for all season. We make brackets, we watch old one shining moment videos (at least I do), we find our cinderella, we hunker down and just enjoy basketball in its purest, wildest form. It’s beautiful. It brings me, and so many of us, more happiness than any sporting event all year long. My only hope is that once this is all over, whenever it is over, we find an entirely new beauty and meaning in sports and the hope it gives us. We will be here, waiting to dance again when we get the chance.

Looking back at the best moments from Wisconsin’s win streak

On February 6th, the day after Wisconsin suffered an 18-point defeat at Minnesota, the Badgers sat at 6-6 in the middle of the Big Ten Conference. Today, March 8th, UW has clinched a share of the Big Ten title and ended the year on an eight-game …

On February 6th, the day after Wisconsin suffered an 18-point defeat at Minnesota, the Badgers sat at 6-6 in the middle of the Big Ten Conference. Today, March 8th, UW has clinched a share of the Big Ten title and ended the year on an eight-game winning streak. Let’s look back at how they reached the top of the Big Ten.

The streak saw a variety of Badgers step into the leading role offensively, beginning with Brevin Pritzl at home against the Buckeyes on February 9th. The best pure shooter on this Badger team put on a show from beyond the arc. The senior went 5-6 from deep en route to 19 points and led UW to a 70-57 win. That game was also the debut of the retro jerseys inspired by the 2000 underdog final four team. There has been something special in those throwback whites that is reminiscent of magic from 2000, and the Badgers have kept wearing them at home since the OSU win.

At Nebraska, it was Brad Davison’s turn. The emotional leader of the squad led the Badgers to a double digit win over the Huskers by pouring in eight threes and dropping a season-high 30 points. As the win streak continued, so did the offensive balance. Through the first five wins, five different Badgers lead Wisconsin in scoring. Even more impressive from a depth perspective is the fact that UW only plays eight players in the normal rotation. Also shocking about the five different scoring leaders is the fact that the teams leading scorer, Nate Reuvers, was not one of them.

D’Mitrik Trice certainly became the point guard that Wisconsin needed him to be throughout these eight games. Not only did the junior eclipse the 1,000 career points mark at Indiana yesterday, but he also averaged nearly six assists throughout Wisconsin’s win streak. The clutch gene was not only present in Trice, but the entire Badger team over the last month. Whether it was going 8-8 from the line to close out Purdue at home in the final minute, Pritzl’s clutch three against the Gophers, or yesterday’s heroics at Assembly Hall, the Badgers found a way. Can we get another look at the Pritzl heroics?

This team has learned how to win when shots aren’t falling, odds are stacked against them, and they have to grind it out. The lesson of winning has been learned at the perfect time as the Badgers get ready for the madness.

 

 

Game Day Grades: Wisconsin vs. Northwestern

What grades did Wisconsin earn from their 63-to-48 senior night victory over Northwestern?

Offense: C

Wisconsin was able to lead throughout the game against Northwestern but their offensive showing wasn’t always pretty.

It appeared like Wisconsin was going to have another impressive offensive performance considering the Badgers jumped out to a quick 11-3 lead as they made their first four field goal attempts. Not to mention the Badgers made their first six of seven field goal attempts to give themselves a 16-5 lead.

But the Badgers did go through two scoring droughts one in each half as after Wisconsin’s strong start to the game they then missed their next five shots from the field.

Wisconsin also suffered through a lengthy scoring drought that occurred in the second half. Wisconsin was able to go into halftime up six and was able to extend their lead back to double digits over the first four minutes of the second half.

But after Brevin Pritzl’s made three with 15:56 to go in the game the Badgers didn’t make their next field goal until the 8:58 mark when Micah Potter was able to follow a missed layup by D’Mitrik Trice with a layup of his own.

In that close to 10 minutes without a field goal, the Badgers could only muster two points thanks to Aleem Ford knocking down a pair of free throws as the Badgers missed 12 straight shots.

Although the Badgers had their struggles to consistently find the bottom of the net they did receive a variety of scorers as nine different players for Wisconsin scored.

The Badgers were led in scoring by Nate Reuvers with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the field as he was the only player to reach double figures. Wisconsin also had five different players score at least eight points and four of the five scored nine points.

Pritzl, Potter, Ford, and Brad Davison each had nine points and Trice finished the game with eight points. Overall Wisconsin finished the game shooting 23-for-59 (39 percent) from the field.

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Game Day Grades: Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

What grades did Wisconsin earn in their Big Ten home victory against rival Minnesota?

Offense: B

Wisconsin finished the game against Minnesota with nine offensive rebounds as the biggest one came thanks to D’Mitrik Trice with 59 seconds left in the game and Wisconsin down by two points.

After a missed three by Brad Davison in front of Wisconsin’s bench, Aleem Ford was able to tip the basketball out as Trice was able to corral the basketball at midcourt and after a couple of dribbles found Brevin Pritzl in the corner for three to give the Badgers a 67-66 lead.

Minnesota was able to regain the lead back thanks to a Daniel Oturu made jumper but following a timeout by Greg Gard the Badgers were able to regain the lead for good. Out of the timeout, Trice was able to force Minnesota’s defense to collapse on him by driving into the paint before finding a wide open Aleem Ford as Ford finished the play off with a dunk.

Pritzl also added two more free throws down the stretch to extend Wisconsin’s lead to 71-68. Micah Potter could have put the game away officially but he missed both of his free throws. Overall Wisconsin shot 17-for-24 (70.8 percent) from the free throw line.

The way Wisconsin shot the basketball from 3-point range over the month of February didn’t quite carry over into the first day of March as Wisconsin finished the game 8-for-24 (33.3 percent). But after only making three of their attempts in the first half they went 5-for-10 in the second half.

With the lead going back and forth over the final five minutes of the game the Badgers did go 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Trice made one of the three’s to give Wisconsin a 59-58 lead and Pritzl was responsible for the last two makes. Pritzl’s first made three with 3:31 to go gave Wisconsin a 62-60 lead and his second one gave the Badgers a lead at 67-66 with less than a minute to go.

Davison was one of four players for Wisconsin to reach double figures with 20 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the field. Pritzl was second with 15 points, and Aleem Ford and Micah Potter each finished the game with 10 points on a combined 7-for-16 shooting from the field.

Overall Wisconsin shot 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the field.

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3-Point Shot Wisconsin vs. Michigan

What are three things Wisconsin needs to do against Michigan on Thursday night?

Michigan has been one of the better teams in the month of February as they have posted a 6-1 record this month. In the month of February, Michigan has beaten Rutgers twice and they gave the Scarlet Knights their first home loss of the season, they beat then No. 16 Michigan State at home, and also beat a Purdue team on the road too. The lone loss by the Wolverines came to Ohio State as they lost to the Buckeyes by three points at home. Michigan will look to add one more win in the month of February when they take on Wisconsin in the only matchup between the two schools during the Big Ten regular season.

In this Badgers Wire feature, we will look at the three keys or questions for Wisconsin as they prepare to play Michigan on Thursday.

LAYUP: WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE

Wisconsin and Michigan are two teams in the Big Ten that simply don’t turn the basketball over as they are averaging 9.3 and 9.4 turnovers a game respectively.

On the flip side, Wisconsin’s defense and Michigan’s defense is forcing an average of 10.6 and 10.3 turnovers a game respectively.

With both teams having success in terms of protecting the basketball and creating turnovers the game could come down to the team who is able to commit the fewest turnovers and, which team is able to capitalize on their opponents mistakes.

The Badgers over their four game winning streak is averaging 12 points off of their opponents mistakes and over that stretch have forced their opponents into an average of 10.75 turnovers a game.

If Wisconsin is going to force Michigan into turnovers the Badgers will need to bring their A-game defensively as like Wisconsin the Wolverines won’t beat themselves.

What the Badgers do with Michigan’s turnovers could play an important role in whether or not the Badgers can keep within striking distance of the Wolverines.

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Game Day Grades: Wisconsin vs. Rutgers

What grades did Wisconsin earn following their 79-71 home win against Rutgers?

Offense: B+

Wisconsin’s offense was dominant at times against Rutgers but there were also two instances one in each half where the Badgers went at least five minutes without a made field goal.

The second scoring drought the Badgers went through allowed for the Scarlet Knights to creep back into the game. With 11:27 to go in the game, the Badgers were up 58-42 thanks to Micah Potter making his second consecutive three.

But the Badgers went five minutes and 11 seconds without a made field goal and until a timely three by Brad Davison to push Wisconsin’s lead to 10 points with 6:16 to go Rutgers had cut it to single digits.

Over that stretch, Wisconsin went 0-for-4 on their field goal attempts as three of their four shots came inside the paint. The only points Wisconsin could register were from the free throw line as they scored three points.

The scoring drought in the first half lasted six minutes and six seconds. In that stretch, the Badgers went 0-for-7 from the field, which includes missing five straight 3-point attempts.

Prior to missing five consecutive three’s, the Badgers did start the game 4-for-5 from distance. For the fourth straight game, Wisconsin made at least 11 of their 3-point attempts. Overall Wisconsin shot 50 percent on 22 attempts from three and 48 percent (24-for-50) from the field.

Potter led Wisconsin from three as he went an impressive 4-for-5 from distance as he finished with a game high 18 points off the bench. Brevin Pritzl and Reuvers each had 17 points and between the two they shot a combined 3-for-6 from three and Brad Davison finished with 15 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three.

Davison’s made three in the second half, which ended the Badgers scoring drought put him over 1,000 points in his career. Davison finished his day 3-for-7 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line.

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