FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas forward Zvonimir Ivisic has shown signs of improvement over the last few games, but he took a massive step forward in the Razorbacks' (14-9, 3-7 SEC) loss to the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide (20-3, 9-1 SEC) on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena.
The second-year native of Croatia made plays all over the court and finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, hit five threes, brought in seven rebounds, blocked three shots and stole three balls.
"He was outstanding," Arkansas head coach John Calipari said postgame. "They screened him a couple times and our guys didn’t talk, so he got some stuff over the top...but Z made shots. He took three threes where I’m like, stop. Drive the ball. Get something at the rim, and he did. He listened."
Arkansas kept the game close through the first half and trailed by just six at halftime, and Big Z was a big reason for that. He had 15 points through the first 20 minutes of the game, but it's worth noting he only played 13 minutes of the frame. He was assessed a technical foul that gave him two fouls, so he sat the bench the final 3:41 of the half.
Out of the halftime break, Arkansas' offense took a nosedive and the Crimson Tide stretched their lead to 18 points. Ivisic continued to make play after play to keep the Hogs in the hunt.
With seven minutes to go in the game, it was time for the Razorbacks to make their move. A pair of free throws from Adou Thiero cut the deficit to eight points, Billy Richmond III had a ferocious slam dunk, and Ivisic followed it up with a three from the wing that sent Bud Walton Arena into its loudest frenzy of the season.
"He played great," Arkansas guard D.J. Wagner said. "He had a lot of big shots, he played hard. That just shows us the great player he is. I’m not really surprised by the way he played, because that’s who he is. He’s a great player and we all need him. He impacts our team every rep."
The ball was in Ivisic's hands with a chance to tie the game with 5.5 seconds left in regulation, but the Crimson Tide opted to foul up 83-80. He hit just one of the two free throws, which mostly thwarted the Hogs' comeback attempt, but it should not be forgotten that the Razorbacks wouldn't have even been in position to win that game without his play.
The loss to the Crimson Tide hurts, but it's not a season-ending loss by any means. The Razorbacks are still firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and their next opportunity to increase their odds of hearing their name called is Wednesday when the LSU Tigers come to Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff for that game is set for 8 p.m. and it will air on ESPN2.
