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Igor Milicic Jr. looked at Cam Carr during a postgame news conference and recalled the play.
The Tennessee basketball forward dribbled to the right of the key when he saw Carr slip free on the baseline. He split the defense with a bounce pass with a touch of spin to connect with Carr in the first half.
“I was just playing basketball,” Milicic said. “I wasn’t really thinking. It probably took some stress out of my head. I was playing freely.”
Milicic made the court work exactly the way he likes to offensively in Tennessee’s 92-57 win against Montana (2-2) on Wednesday. He had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the No. 9 Vols (3-0). The Charlotte transfer shot 3-pointers, he finished at the rim — and most impressively, he facilitated the offense in a special way at the 4-spot.
Why Igor Milicic Jr.’s facilitating was at its best against Montana
Montana coach Travis DeCuire knew Milicic made almost 100 3-pointers in two seasons at Charlotte.
That scratches the surface on what Milicic does offensively. The 6-foot-10 forward is crafty in how he moves. He’s creative with the ball. He’s smart passing it. He is a unique playmaker with his size and offensive profile, which he showed against Montana.
“I thought he saw the court,” Vols coach Rick Barnes said. “I thought that was the key difference in what he has been . . . I thought he slowed down and let his vision be a factor as opposed to predetermining what he was going to do before he gets it.”
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Slowing down was both Barnes’ praise and push for Milicic after Tennessee beat Louisville. The senior played with better pace in that game than he did in UT’s season opener against Gardner-Webb. Wednesday was better yet.
He shot when he should. He passed when he should. Barnes noted maybe one drive all game that Milicic erred by forcing it.
Milicic was special creating. He tossed a lob to J.P. Estrella in the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/enticing-skill-igor-milicic-jr-100553459.html
Author : Knox News | The Knoxville News-Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-11-14 10:05:00
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