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Big Z's Promise to Calipari Gave Razorbacks Leadership Needed

After horrendous game in loss to Auburn, Ivisic puts up big number Hogs need against Missouri
Jacob Davis|
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic comes down the court against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic comes down the court against the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic went through some hard times on the road against Auburn Wednesday night going 0-of-10 from the field and went without scoring for the first time since Jan. 14.

Sometimes guys have a bad shooting night and it just happened to be on the road against the No. 1 ranked team in the country. Shooters must keep shooting and Ivisic didn't back down as he maintained confidence in himself as a team leader.

"You know, the same mindset that I come with every game," Ivisic said. "I missed some shots. I mean, I missed everything. So what? Our team still depends on me, they need me. They’re with me to support me, so, you know, that’s it."

Over his previous five games, Ivisic has scored at least 20 points in three of them and continues to shoot well from deep. That includes a five game stretch from Feb. 1-15 where he made 56% of his attempts (17-of-27).

Coach John Calipari mentioned the 7-foot-2 Croatian's troubles truly bothered him and promised that it would be the last time he'll ever struggle like that again.

"[Ivisic] just told me, “I’m not going 0-for-10 again coach, I promise you" And I believed him," Calipari said after the Razorbacks 92-85 victory over Missouri. "I believe in him, I believe in all these guys."

Calipari has been much more animated as of late, coaching hard despite claiming his team is fragile. While the season has provided its head scratching moments throughout, he has seen enough flashes of of this Razorbacks team to know these are no fluke.

"Now [the team] will drive me crazy at times, but the reality of it is, I believe in what they’re capable of doing and what they did today," Calipari said. "We should’ve got that one [against Auburn], one-point lead, three minutes to go, let’s do something, let’s finish this."

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs draw inspiration from emotional 1990 Final Four team

• Finally playing like Razorbacks helps Arkansas win crowd late

• Razorbacks refuse to have bubble burst at Bud by Missouri

• Razorbacks' shooting reverses fortunes to sink Missouri

• Arkansas pitching carries Razorbacks to some revenge over TCU

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Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

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