Pritchard ready to challenge No. 13 OSU

Tom Pritchard had four fouls against Northwestern on Sunday.

But at least he didn’t have five.

All season long, the sophomore forward has struggled to stay on the court. His coach, teammates and fans have seen his ability to materialize an offensive rhythm squandered game after game, as he often turns toward the bench early, saddled with personal fouls.

If IU is to challenge Ohio State at Assembly Hall today, it’ll need the Pritchard who scored a season-high 13 points in the first half against Purdue on Feb. 4, the Pritchard who managed to play more than 30 minutes for the first time all year.

He was told his grandmother died the night before the game and said after the contest against Purdue that he was helped to establish a rhythm by being able to play without the next whistle weighing on his mind.

“It obviously helped a lot because normally I’m in a lot of foul trouble in the beginning,” he said. “It helped me to settle in and play a lot of minutes and help out the team.”

He added his grandmother’s memory motivated him through the game.

“It was obviously tough to play,” he said. “But I know she was with me and gave me an extra boost tonight.”

Pritchard averages 3.4 fouls per game through 22 games. He has had four or more fouls on 13 occasions, fouling out in three of those.

The next closest player on the team is junior guard Jeremiah Rivers with 63 fouls.

The Pritchard of Feb. 4 and last season will be needed against Ohio State, a team that lines up one of the tallest and most physical teams in the Big Ten. 

No player in the Ohio State starting lineup is shorter than 6-foot-5, and the Buckeyes run their offense through a 6-foot-7 point guard in Evan Turner. Four more players coming off the bench stand taller than 6 feet, 6 inches, three of them being 6 feet, 8 inches or larger.

But it hasn’t been his opponents’ size that has stunted Pritchard’s growth as a player.

Against a tall Purdue team, Pritchard played foul free until one minute remained in the first half. He had fueled his team with dunks and big rebounds.

He scored 13 points and grabbed three rebounds in those 20 minutes. Pritchard averages 21 minutes per game and has been knocked out of several games early.

“We felt very good on the entire night with Tom being a facilitator,” IU coach Tom Crean said after the game. “And I think that even though we’d certainly like to have him play more aggressive, he’s playing with a heavy heart. I was really proud of the way he played in that first half.”

This wasn’t always a problem for Pritchard.

A year ago, he was the only player to start 31 games for IU, sustaining hope in a team where positives were rare.

In the Hoosiers’ 6-25 season, he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds per game. So far, he has averaged five points and four rebounds.

Sophomore guard Verdell Jones said it shows in practice that Pritchard’s game hasn’t changed much.

“He’s a monster in practice,” Jones said. “If you guys could see him in practice – first team all-Big Ten. He’s a great big man.”

Looking back on the play that he saw all last season, Crean said Feb. 4 illustrated the type of player Pritchard can be.

“That shows what he’s capable of when he’s on the balls of his feet, and when he’s not in foul trouble,” Crean said.