Tennessee starting forward Igor Milicic Jr. is “probable” for Wednesday’s game against Ole Miss, according to the SEC Injury Report on Tuesday night.
Milicic was in the arena for practice on Tuesday afternoon but did not participate due to illness.
Ole Miss, on the other hand, has no injuries to report.
Milicic has the fourth-highest scoring average for Tennessee at 10.2 points per game in just about 26 minutes on the court per outing. He also leads Tennessee on the boards with 7.5 rebounds per game and has the second-most assists per game (2.3), trailing only senior guard Zakai Zeigler.
The former Charlotte transfer put together a great scoring stretch in late January and February with four double-digit outings in five games but has only scored 12 total points in three games since. While Milicic has been a proven threat on the boards with his athleticism, Tennessee’s offense really benefits from his scoring ability when he can find his shot.
“I don’t think he’s pressing,” Tennessee assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said about Milicic on Tuesday. “I think he is trying to do what Coach has asked of him. You know, Igor has a unique ability at 6-10 to facilitate, and we all know there’s a lot of pressure on Zakai to do that. Igor is trying to alleviate some of that. Coach wants him to do that. So I think what Igor’s trying to figure out, we’ve all seen him score the ball. That’s something he’s always been able to do, but how do I connect? And that was Igor’s word yesterday talking to Coach. Like, how do I connect and be productive and help this basketball team scoring, but yet facilitating, and you know, being able to play out on the floor and making reads and getting guy shots because that’s a unique thing at his size and skillset that we have not had here. We’ve had a lot of things from different guys, but we haven’t had that on that kind of level. So I think that’s more of it, him trying to figure it out. And again, we gotta remember, like he’s been here less than a year, so hopefully he’s going to connect it tomorrow night.”
More from RTI: Where Tennessee Basketball Lands In Bracketology Updates Ahead Of Ole Miss Game
No. 4 Tennessee (24-5, 11-5 SEC) left for Oxford on Tuesday night and will take on Ole Miss (20-9, 9-7 SEC) in the late-night game at 9:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday from The Sandy and John Black Pavilion. Tennessee enters the game on a four-game win streak following Saturday’s emotional thriller over No. 6 Alabama thanks to a buzzer-beater from Jahmai Mashack. Ole Miss, meanwhile, will look to defend their home court after stopping a three-game slide against Oklahoma last weekend.
ESPN Analytics gives Tennessee a 60.8% chance to win Wednesday’s contest. The game will also serve as the penultimate game of the regular season with the postseason right around the corner. Tennessee will close the season at home against South Carolina this Saturday before the SEC Tournament.
Tennessee center J.P. Estrella is also ruled out, as he has been all season.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of the game on Wednesday night in Oxford, MS.
