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SAN JOSE — Warriors forward Jordan Bell remembers his college days when point guard Payton Pritchard made his Oregon recruiting visit.
“I couldn’t stand him . . . he was annoying as hell,” Bell said. “No, he came in very feisty, hungry. He played with us in open gym and he just killed. He’s always had that dominance about him.”
Just like Friday.
Pritchard delivered 19 points, eight assists and five rebounds as the 12th-seeded Ducks ran their late-season win streak to nine games with a 72-54 win over No. 5 Wisconsin at the SAP Center.
“It showed everybody today it wasn’t no fluke,” Pritchard said. “We’re here to play, here to win it.”
Next up for Oregon on Sunday is UC Irvine (31-5), which won for the 17th straight game, beating No. 4 seed Kansas State 70-64 for its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Pritchard has been at the heart of the turnaround for the Ducks (24-12), averaging 15.8 points during the eight-game stretch that saved their season.
Bell was a star for Oregon back in 2017 when Pritchard was a freshman starter on a Final Four team. He sees many of the same qualities his former teammate showed from the start.
“It was a conversation we had in the locker room, ‘I wonder if he’ll come in here and start. Wonder if he’s good enough to do that,’ “ said Bell, recalling the impression he had after Pritchard’s visit. “You couldn’t tell how old he was.
“No matter what the score is, he always plays exactly the same. He’s always been like that. He’s more in charge as far as talking, being vocal. But the way he plays, he’s always played the same.”
Pritchard said he’s never been short on confidence. “I just believed in myself and really thought I could do something special with my career,” he said.
But this season wasn’t always easy for the one remaining player from the Final Four team. When five-star center Bol Bol was lost for the season after a foot injury in the Ducks’ ninth game, Pritchard felt the need to shoulder more of the load.
He said he’s worked hard to improve his diet, his practice habits and his pre-game mentality. “My game was always there, I just wasn’t necessarily doing it,” Pritchard said.
Freshman guard Will Richardson says a lot of that wasn’t Pritchard’s fault.
“Obviously, he’s playing a lot better. But I feel like personally he has a lot more trust in his teammates and that I feel like that opens up the floor for him,” Richardson said.
“At the beginning of the year, chemistry wasn’t there. A lot of pressure was put on his back. Now that everybody has stepped into their roles, it builds his confidence.”
Pritchard delivered again Friday.
The Ducks and Badgers (23-11) were locked in a tight game with Oregon leading just 35-33 when Pritchard triggered the decisive run. He nailed a deep 3-pointer, and Oregon outscored Wisconsin 37-21 over the final 15 minutes.
“I thought his aggressiveness, both offensively and defensively, was good for us,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said of Pritchard. “He went through a stretch (earlier in the season) where he struggled a little but.
“He’s just been on a different level here. Man . . . he’s been unbelievable.”