MILWAUKEE — Tomislav Ivišić was standing in the Illinois locker room in front of a TV that showed the clock winding down on Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament upset of No. 2 seed St. John’s on Saturday afternoon.
The 7-foot-1 Illinois center from Croatia was doing interviews with reporters before practice at Fiserv Forum, so he didn’t catch the end of the game for his twin brother’s team.
Zvonimir Ivisic is a 7-2 forward for Arkansas, where he transferred after a season at Kentucky. He scored only two points in 10 minutes Saturday because of foul trouble — eventually fouling out — but he still gets bragging rights among the brothers as the first to advance to the Sweet 16.
Tomislav hopes to match his path Sunday when the No. 6 seed Illini play No. 3 Kentucky.
“He can’t be the one that went further than me, so I’ll do my best to match his performance,” he said.
The brothers talk every day, and Tomislav expected to call his brother after the Illini wrapped up practice Saturday.
Zvonimir, who came to play college basketball in the United States a year earlier than his brother, transferred to Arkansas from Kentucky in the offseason when coach John Calipari went there. Tomislav said there isn’t any extra motivation playing against his brother’s former team.
“He wished me luck and that we can play good against them, that we can win that game,” Tomislav said. “It’s just business. No emotions on that side.”
Big (Ten) showing
Illinois coach Brad Underwood wasn’t surprised about the impressive showing by Big Ten teams to open the tournament on Thursday and Friday.
“I keep telling everybody,” he said Friday night after Illinois’ win over Xavier.
The Big Ten went 8-0 in first-round games, and Purdue and Michigan continued the success early Saturday with second-round wins. No. 4 seed Purdue topped McNeese State and No. 5 seed Michigan beat Texas A&M.
“It’s great not playing a Big Ten team (in the tournament),” Underwood said. “We know how good they are. The youth in this league was second to none this year. You could have put 8-10 kids on that All-Freshman team that were terrific. … It speaks volumes to the coaching, players, the fans. So no shock it went to 8-0.”
Wisconsin, the No. 3 seed in the East Region, ended the conference unbeaten streak late Saturday with a 91-89 loss to BYU. UCLA, the No. 7 seed in the Midwest, later lost to No. 2 Tennessee.
Rowdy expectations
Illinois enjoyed a home-like atmosphere in Friday’s first-round win, thanks to the many Illini fans who traveled from Champaign and the Chicago area.
Illinois players are expecting another “rowdy” crowd Sunday against Kentucky — but this time it might not be all for them.
Kentucky had a large contingent in Milwaukee for its first-round win over Troy. Wildcats coach Mark Pope even offered to pay the gas money for UK students to drive to Milwaukee, which he admitted Thursday “was not the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
“Hopefully there’s more orange than blue,” junior guard Kylan Boswell said.
The Illini, who had three starters without NCAA Tournament experience play Friday, were happy to put together such a promising win in the first round heading into what could be a tougher matchup and environment.
“It’s a huge confidence boost,” Boswell said. “The atmosphere here at March Madness is a totally different level than any game, especially tomorrow, too, the best traveling teams. That arena will be split, I wouldn’t be surprised. But we’re prepared for it.”
Coaching beginnings
Underwood was doing his media availability in a Fiserv Forum hallway Saturday when someone shouted over reporters.
“Ask him about his Dodge City defense!” Mississippi coach Chris Beard called out.
“Hey, it was freaking spectacular compared to that bulls— in Fort Scott, God dang,” Underwood responded.
“We were an offensive team,” Beard said.
“You played in a rodeo arena,” Underwood responded before turning back to reporters. “The dust was so bad we couldn’t even play. … It was an indoor rodeo arena. The wind would blow, and the dust would blow in. Every 10 seconds, they would mop the floor. I shouldn’t say anything. I was in Dodge City, the cowboy capital of the world.”
Underwood and Beard, whose Mississippi team plays Iowa State in a second-round South Region game Sunday in Milwaukee, were talking about their days as junior college coaches. Underwood spent four years at Dodge City Community College in Kansas in the early 1990s. Beard coached at Fort Scott Community College in 1999-2000.
“Just a bunch of JuCo guys,” Underwood said. “We coach ball and get to live out our dreams. That’s what this thing’s about, just as much for coaches as it is for players.”
