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Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after round of 32 showdown
Rick Pitino and John Calipari address media after Arkansas beat St. John’s in round of 32 of the NCAA men’s tournament — VIDEO: NCAA
Sports Pulse
SAN FRANCISCO — John Calipari made the declaration in the immediate aftermath of Arkansas basketball’s second round win over St. John’s in March Madness. He doubled-down Tuesday morning during an appearance on ESPN’s Pat McAfee show.
The Razorbacks (22-13) are getting healthier and peaking as they set their sights on Texas Tech in the Sweet 16, but a key piece on the late-season turnaround has gone missing. The Hogs have to find a way to get more of an impact from Zvonimir Ivisic.
“We need (Ivisic) to play,” Calipari said Saturday night. “I need him on the floor some.”
Ivisic has gone missing this postseason, averaging 8.5 minutes while scoring just six points across four combined games in the SEC Tournament and men’s NCAA Tournament. He’s 1 for 6 from the field and 0 for 2 on 3-pointers, and the 7-foot-2 Croatian fouled out in 10 minutes against the Red Storm.
The disappearance in production is jarring after Ivisic played a key role in getting Arkansas into the big dance. The Razorbacks started 0-5 in the SEC, and while Ivisic struggled in that early-season stretch, he averaged 13 points and shot 358% from the floor as Arkansas went 8-5 over its last 13 games.
The offense drying up is hard to explain. Two potential factors are a recent injury to his right thumb and his struggles on defense.
He sustained the injury in the opening game at the SEC Tournament, and he avoided high-fiving his teammates at the free-throw line with his right hand during the win over South Carolina. Ivisic has repeatedly stressed he’s healthy, but the downturn in shooting has correlated with the…
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Publish date : 2025-03-25 21:48:00
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