Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) takes a shot over Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) during the first half at Neville Arena. John Reed-Imagn Images

Arkansas' Belief in Ivisic Steady Despite Auburn Bagel

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Daniel Shi | Last updated Feb 22, 2025 5:05 PM ET

Sometimes you just have an awful day at the office. For Arkansas center Zvonimir Ivisic, it was a historically poor day against No. 1 Auburn in a 67-60 loss.

He played 30 minutes and did not register a point. He finished the game 0-for-10 from the field and became just the third player in Razorback history to attempt at least 10 field goals without a make, per HogStats (Connor Vanover went 0-11 against Missouri in 2021).

Before that game, Ivisic had been playing the best stretch of basketball in his college career. The previous three games, Ivisic was shooting 64% from the floor (23-for-36) and 59% from beyond the arc (10-for-17).

The Hogs coaching staff don't see Ivisic's repeated misses against Auburn as a major issue, it could even be a blessing in disguise as Arkansas tries to make a last-ditch effort for the NCAA Tournament in the final five games of the regular season.

"I don't think Z's confidence wavered," associate coach Chin Coleman said. "He just missed shots that he had been making. You've got to look at it in a different way. If he was lacking confidence, maybe he wouldn't have continued to take those shots."

Calipari and the rest of the coaches want Ivisic to continue shooting the same shots down the stretch, starting with Saturday's game against No. 15 Missouri. It was the first matchup between these two teams, which the Tigers won 83-65, where Ivisic announced himself to the SEC. He scored 14 points on 6-for-9 from the floor in 30 minutes after only seeing an average of 6.3 minutes a game in the team's first four conference games.

"He showed that he had confidence because you miss 100% of the shots that you don't take," Coleman said. "So if you keep taking shots and you got to have a short memory, right? You have to have amnesia, and Z had amnesia."

Ivisic and the rest of the Razorbacks will seek revenge against Missouri inside Bud Walton Arena 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.