'We got to get him going': Tennessee needs Igor Milicic Jr. to rebound in NCAA Tournament

LEXINGTON — Igor Milicic Jr. set the tone back in January. Tennessee opened SEC play with a 76-52 drubbing of Arkansas behind the transfer stretch forward’s 13 points, 18 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes.

“The transfer in,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said of Milicic afterward, “he helps them because you can stretch the floor a little bit. He’s pretty good and he hurt us rebounding. I think he had double-digit rebounds, come on. I mean, who was guarding him?”

Three months later, that’s the Milicic that Tennessee needs back. The one that leaves opposing coaches questioning who couldn’t stop him. 

“We got to get him going,” Tennessee associate coach Justin Gainey said Sunday, after the 86-77 loss to Florida in the SEC Tournament championship game. “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.”

No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford, NCAA Tournament, First Round

That impact needs to be felt again starting Thursday, when Tennessee (27-7) opens the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region, facing No. 15 Wofford (19-15) at 6:50 p.m. Eastern Time on TNT at Rupp Arena.

Milicic’s 18 rebounds against Arkansas came three weeks after he grabbed 14 in the win at Illinois. He’s had 10 or more rebounds in eight games and nine rebounds in five more. 

He had just one board against Florida and played only 18 minutes, scoring four points and committing three fouls. 

Milicic still leads Tennessee in rebounding at 6.9 per game, but is averaging just 3.8 per game in March. He averaged 5.8 in February and 7.8 in January, after averaging 8.0 in non-conference play in November and December.

Part of what drew Tennessee coaches to Milicic in the NCAA Transfer Portal was the 8.5 rebounds he averaged at Charlotte in 31 games last season, playing in one of the slowest tempos — leading to fewer possessions and fewer rebounding opportunities — in college basketball. 

“We think that he is a high-level rebounder when he is in and when he is engaged,” Gainey said. “He has proven that throughout his career. To take out the scoring part of it, just from his ability to impact the backboard offensively and defensively is huge for us. We need that.”

A common point of emphasis from head coach Rick Barnes, especially when players are struggling, is to get lost affecting the games by playing defense and rebounding. 

That’s the starting point for Milicic to get back to what he has shown he can be. 

“When he is not out there, we feel it,” Gainey said. “We are not as good on the glass as we need to be. Against a team like (Florida), they are elite on the backboard. You have to have your best rebounder out there.”

Igor Milcic, Tennessee had matched season lows in rebounding vs. Florida

Tennessee’s 25 rebounds against Florida on Sunday matched a season low. The Vols were out-rebounded by 14 and gave up 15 offensive rebounds, the third highest total of the season. 

“By now we need to understand truly into what makes you understand losing basketball games,” Barnes said on Wednesday, “and getting out-rebounded by 15 rebounds is going to make you lose a basketball game. 

“I think it goes back to the absolute focus, details, competitive spirit, working as hard as you can and understanding the importance of every possession.”

Barnes was talking about his team, not specifically about Milicic. But it’s the message that Milcic has been hearing, from teammates and coaches alike. 

“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.”