Over the past four games, Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivisic has been dominant. In all but one game, he's scored double-digit points. Although he only scored nine against Texas, Ivisic pulled in a career-high 12 boards.
Not only is he the team's leading shot-blocker, but he's also becoming the rebounder they've desperately needed. But there's another thing the 7-foot-2-inch stretch big can do: shoot threes. If he hasn't already gotten it, he deserves the greenlight from John Calipari.
Ivisic needs the greenlight from deep
Apart from their performances against Kentucky and Texas, the Hogs have shot poorly from the 3-point line — all except for "Big Z." He's gone 16/39 for 41 percent through conference play, with the majority of his attempts coming after the Mizzou game. There's not another player that comes close.
Of the players who've attempted at least 50 shots, he has the second-least with 83. On the other hand, he has the second-most made 3-pointers with 36, behind only Johnell Davis, who has made 37 of his 111 attempts.
Ivisic has proven that he can be a presence in the paint, too. In Saturday's loss to Alabama, "Big Z" shot nine 3-pointers and drained five for 15 points, but he had another career-high of 27 points! Only two came from the charity stripe, so 10 came from plays at the rim. Pair that with three steals, three blocks, and countless affected shots on the defensive end, and one could argue he's the team's best player right now, especially with Adou Thiero under the weather lately.
In fact, Thiero and Ivisic are the two best offensive players on the team, according to their points per 40 minutes. Adou is the most efficient scorer, making 23.4 points per 40 minutes. However, Ivisic is second for the Hogs with 18.3.
Sometimes, the Croatian product tries to handle the ball too much. And yes, he can be bullied in the lane by experienced, physical bigs. But the cost of letting off the leash is outweighed by the potential he holds. And to be fair, there's not many seven-footers moving like him in college basketball. It's time to let the big "Z" dog eat.