Igor Milicic Jr. is better than he's playing. Tennessee basketball needs him in March Madness
NASHVILLE — Igor Milcic Jr. checked in with 11:29 before halftime Sunday against Florida.
The Tennessee basketball forward turned right back around and returned to the bench after fouling on in the inbound pass.
“We got to get him going,” Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey said. “We got to figure it out because he is so big for what we do. For us to be hitting on all cylinders, we need him to be able to impact the game.”
Milicic has proven he is an elite rebounder and essential offensive player.
He hasn’t been that in the past month, and the No. 2 seed Vols are prodding him to get back to his best as they face No. 15 Wofford to open March Madness on Thursday (6:50 p.m., TNT) in Lexington, Kentucky.
Igor Milicic Jr. is Tennessee basketball’s best rebounder
Milicic has heard the message from his coaches and teammates. They know how important he is to their success. They have implored him to focus on rebounding and defense in throughout SEC play in a brotherly, loving manner.
“It is getting to the point know where it is enough talking,” Gainey said. “We have to do it. We need you to do it.”
Milicic is Tennessee’s best rebounder. He had 18 rebounds in UT’s SEC opener against Arkansas on Jan. 4. He had at least seven in seven of his first 12 conference games and averaged 7.3 per game.
The 6-foot-10 forward has two games with at least seven in his past eight games and is averaging 4.1 rebounds per game.
“I think the key is rebounding,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “Back when we were really moving pretty good, he was getting big-time rebounds and he’s got to get back to that.”
Tennessee (27-7) was walloped by Florida in the rebounding battle. The Gators had a 39-25 advantage and grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. Milicic had one rebound for the second time this season.
“We need that,” Gainey said. “When he is not out there, we feel it. We are not as good on the glass as we need to be.”
Igor Milicic Jr. is the X-factor for Vols in March Madness
Milcic sat for the final 11:29 of the first half of the SEC Tournament title game with foul trouble.
Tennessee was tied when he sat. It trailed by nine at the end of the half without Milicic, who has battled foul trouble often lately. He played 18 minutes against Florida and 16 minutes against Auburn. He had four fouls against the Tigers in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
“I know he wants to play hard but he has to just be smart,” Gainey said.
Milicic’s numbers have dipped in the past eight games after a stretch in which he scored at least 10 points in four of five games.
The Charlotte transfer is averaging 10.2 points and 7.1 rebounds while shooting 47.3% his season. He is averaging 7.1 points and shooting 38.5% in his past eight games.
He has shown he is too valuable and too talented to produce those numbers in pivotal games. As Tennessee heads into win-or-done mode starting against Wofford (29-5), it needs Milicic’s best again to reach the lofty ceiling it has.
It starts with defense and rebounding and letting the rest come easy.
“Starting there will help him lock in on what he has to do and what he has to get done,” Gainey said. “All I know is we need him to be better.”
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson or Bluesky @bymikewilson.bsky.social. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Igor Milicic Jr.: Tennessee forward is Vols' X-factor in March Madness
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