KNOXVILLE – A Tennessee men’s basketball team that’s in dire need of bodies picked up a big one Tuesday afternoon.
The addition of 7-foot-1 Serbian Uros Plavsic, who was cleared for action by the NCAA after having multiple appeals denied, gives the Volunteers a much-needed body for a roster that currently has nine of them available.
He can get his first action Wednesday night as the Vols (10-5, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) visit Georgia (10-5, 0-2) at 7 at Stegeman Coliseum.
It’s not clear just how Plavsic will be able to contribute, or how rotations will be adjusted. But in an area where the Vols have been deficient – interior depth – they now have the program’s biggest body available to go with 6-foot-9 junior John Fulkerson and 6-6 junior Yves Pons.
Plavsic’s eligibility also will be big for next season, as it gives him a chance to reacclimate after last playing in a competitive game in the 2017-18 season. The Vols lose only senior 1,000-point scorer Jordan Bowden going into next season and have a recruiting class that’s ranked in the top five, so it gives this team a chance to start jelling on the court.