Vol hoops lost part of its toughness Monday

Tennessee basketball in 2022-2023 was an up and down ride, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  The defense was the calling card, which was the #1 ranked defense in the country according to KenPom.  UT held its opponents to less than 60 points in 25 of 36 games.  And a large part of that […]

Craig Smith — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

May 23, 2023 1:10 AM EDT

Tennessee basketball in 2022-2023 was an up and down ride, especially on the offensive side of the ball.  The defense was the calling card, which was the #1 ranked defense in the country according to KenPom.  UT held its opponents to less than 60 points in 25 of 36 games.  And a large part of that defensive success was toughness, physicality, and heart.  

Uros Plavsic, one of those seeds of that toughness and heart, announced on his Twitter account Monday that he is leaving Knoxville to pursue a professional basketball career, which will likely be overseas.

Plavsic found himself getting into scuffles with opposing players both during and after games on numerous occasions during his UT career, but his physicality was infectious on his teammates.  

That grit was on display against Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament this year.  Plavsic repeatedly bodied Duke's frontcourt away from the rim and committed multiple hard fouls.  But Tennessee as a whole was the far more physical team, and that helped UT control the glass and the pace of the game in a 65-52 Tennessee win.  

Of course, it wasn't always good with Plavsic's tendency to seek out contact.  In the Sweet 16 matchup with FAU, he was whistled for a flagrant, cheap foul by elbowing FAU's Vladislav Goldin in the second half with the Owls up 7.  The Owls took control of the game from that point and never looked back.  That was the side of Plavsic that drew Rick Barnes' scorn more than one time during his time in Knoxville.  Such was the good that came with the bad of Plavsic's game. 

But one thing that can't be denied is Plavsic's love for the University of Tennessee, and that he did give his all for Tennessee, as he showed throughout his time in Knoxville.