Tennessee
Inside Igor Milicic Jr’s 18-rebound game for No. 1 Tennessee basketball vs Arkansas
John Calipari’s first observation about this Tennessee basketball team compared to last year’s is the Vols are a year older.
The second was about “the transfer in.”
The Arkansas coach was talking about Igor Milicic Jr., which was readily apparent as Calipari detailed what that unnamed transfer did Saturday. He stretches the floor for Tennessee. He helps the Vols.
He had double-digit rebounds, the key facet of Calipari’s description as Milicic had the best rebounding performance by a player in coach Rick Barnes’ decade at Tennessee.
“Igor was spectacular,” Barnes said.
Milicic grabbed 18 rebounds with six offensive boards and 13 points as No. 1 Tennessee (14-0, 1-0 SEC) pounded Arkansas (11-3, 0-1) on Saturday at Food City Center. It was his career best and the best by a Vol under Barnes.
Igor Milicic explains his 18 rebounds for Tennessee vs Arkansas
Milicic provided a simplified explanation for his rebounding success. His teammates block out and clear the way for him.
“I just need to go jump and get it,” Milicic said. “It’s not that hard, honestly.”
Milicic made it look that easy against Arkansas. The 6-foot-10 forward had nine rebounds before halftime, notched his 10th rebound 33 seconds into the second half, and kept going.
The Charlotte transfer is the fourth Vol in the past 20 years to have at least 18 rebounds in a game.
Milicic preached consistency as a key to being a good rebounder. You have to keep crashing the boards even when you are tired. You have to accept contact.
Barnes credited Milicic for his anticipation skills, quickness and good hands. He added more credit to his effort. He got that overall against Arkansas as Tennessee outrebounded Arkansas 51-29 with 24 offensive rebounds.
Milicic was the tone-setter because he makes it a priority, guard Zakai Zeigler said.
“Even if he is not shooting the ball well, I can count on him to go get 10 rebounds or go get five O-boards,” Zeigler said. “It is just really impressive he does it day in and day out.”
Why rebounding is fun to Igor Milicic Jr.
Tennessee knew Milicic was a good rebounder coming from Charlotte, where he averaged 8.5 rebounds last season.
His offensive rebounding has impressed. The Vols play faster than Charlotte, which means more rebounding opportunities. They also put more of an emphasis on offensive rebounding than Charlotte, which Milicic has enjoyed.
“It just another opportunity to score,” Milicic said. “It is all of us. We get extra opportunities to score and it shows with the shooting that we have here. It is really fun — and of course sometimes you get a putback, right?”
Milicic is averaging 8.9 rebounds after his 18-rebound game. The only other Vol to average that many in a season in the past 20 years is Jarnell Stokes, who had 9.6 per game in 2012-13 and 10.6 in 2013-14.
The Croatian has three straight games with at least 10 rebounds. He has double-digit rebounds in four of the past five games and six of the past eight. He had nine in one of those games.
He rocketed past those impressive games with his best one yet Saturday. That prompted Calipari’s attention and an understatement when he stated Milicic is “pretty good.”
A more fitting description is the compliment that followed: Milicic is doing what Calipari wishes his players would do. He’s an all-out rebounder and he’s one of the best at it.
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.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Big hearts, small hands! Tennessee kids are stepping up to make a big difference this summer.
First Lady Maria Lee on Tuesday announced the eighth annual Tennessee Kids Serve Summer Challenge, encouraging young students to dedicate part of their summer to helping others.
The program, part of the Tennessee Serves initiative, runs from June 1 through Aug. 1 and is open to rising kindergarteners through rising sixth graders across the state.
Participants must complete at least two hours of service across two of eight designated categories to finish the challenge, with top participants earning an invitation to a September carnival at the Tennessee Residence.
Since its launch in 2019, more than 3,500 children have contributed over 15,000 hours of service through activities ranging from park cleanups to assisting nursing homes and raising funds for disaster relief.
Registration opened Tuesday, with parents and guardians able to sign up participants and access additional details through the First Lady’s official website.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A bill moving through the Tennessee Legislature could reshape how pharmacies do business in the state, with CVS warning it could lead to widespread store closures.
The Tennessee Senate has passed legislation that would change the way pharmacies can operate. The proposal has been dubbed “the CVS bill” because it directly impacts the drugstore chain.
Under the bill, drugstores would no longer be allowed to negotiate prices directly with insurance providers or government programs. Instead, a third party would be required to step in.
The bill is now under debate in the House. CVS says the change would force more than 100 of its pharmacies to close across Tennessee, but lawmakers disagree.
Tennessee football star Jermod McCoy is the player who will likely hear his name called first from the Tennessee program in the upcoming NFL Draft. There are many teams he would fit well, but these three teams are the teams I believe he is the best fit with at this moment.
1. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are in need of a cornerback in the draft class, and they are likely to spend one of their first two picks on one. They are selecting at No. 12 and No. 20 in the draft as of now, and McCoy could hear his name called. He would be joining a decent group of cornerbacks, but he would be an immediate starter, likely alongside a later selection that they make with a cornerback.
It would be shocking if the Cowboys pass on him if they select at 12 and he is still on the board. McCoy would be an immediate starter and would be someone who could shut down a whole side of the field for the Cowboys early in his career.
2. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins is one of the better fits for Jermod McCoy, and it would make the most sense, as the Dolphins could use almost every position after a major haul of their players. They are in a major rebuilding phase and drafting at No. 11 leaves many to believe that McCoy could be in play.
McCoy would likely be their No. 1 cornerbakc the day he got to the franchise, and would have the chance to dominate the way he did in his one season on the field with the Vols. This selection would depend on who drops out of the first ten selections. If he is one of the better players remaining (highly likely) he very well could hear his name called at pick 11.
3. New York Jets
The New York Jets have the chance to be very good when it comes to the draft, as they are drafting at both No. 2 and No. 16. I believe they will be looking to get a cornerback with their No. 16 pick, which would make a lot of sense considering they had to get rid of Sauce Gardner.
McCoy would be the perfect replacement, as they could find themselves in one of the better situations on the defensive side of the football. He can shutdown a side of the field, and I would bet that he would be a great fit with the Jets because of that exactly.
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