Brad Underwood blasts former Kentucky fan favorite, tells him to 'grow up'

Kentucky fans will always remember Big Z’s introduction to college basketball.

After finally being ruled eligible during Cal's last year in Lexington, Zvonimir Ivisic exploded onto the Rupp Arena floor against Georgia with one of the wildest debuts in recent memory: 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists and 2 steals in just 16 minutes. He dropped a behind-the-back dime to Antonio Reeves for a three. He went 4-for-4 from deep in the first half. It felt like a unicorn had landed in Lexington.

But there was always a catch: the technicals. Hanging on the rim, chirping, leaning into being a full-on menace, it was all part of the Big Z experience.

Now he’s at Illinois, and that same edge just burned him in the worst possible way.

How Zvonimir Ivisic’s technical flipped Illinois–Nebraska at the worst possible time

Illinois was locked in a Big Ten battle with Nebraska, a ranked-on-ranked matchup with the Illini trying to protect home court and the Huskers chasing a statement win. Nebraska eventually walked out with an 83–80 victory on a last-second three, the kind of December result that can echo in March seed lines.

In the second half, Ivisic delivered what should’ve been a pure momentum play: a big dunk that tied the game and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Instead of sprinting back on defense, he talked a little, and earned himself a technical foul.

Nebraska turned the moment into a five-point possession. What should have been a jolt for Illinois became a gut punch. In a one-possession game that ended on a buzzer-beater, that sequence loomed over everything.

To make matters worse, cameras caught Ivisic walking back down the floor after the tech appearing to say, “I don’t care, I don’t care,” as teammates tried to pull him away. That’s the kind of clip that goes viral, and the kind that makes coaches lose sleep.

Brad Underwood’s blunt message: ‘He’s got to grow up’

After the game, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood didn’t bother with spin. Asked about the swing that followed Ivisic’s dunk and technical, he went straight at the issue.

“They go on a 7–0 run after we get a dunk, our immaturity, that is on me for never stopping that in practice when Z (Zvonimir Ivisic) gets a dunk. He’s got to grow up.”

That’s about as direct as it gets.

Underwood did take some of the blame, saying he should’ve shut down the post-dunk antics in practice long before it showed up in a big game. But he also made it clear this isn’t something Illinois can just live with. Not when it’s directly feeding opponent runs. Not when it’s the difference in a tight conference game.

Emotion is good. Swagger is good. Technicals that hand the other team free points in crunch time will get you beat in the Big Ten every single time.

The Big Z experience, all over again

If you watched Ivisic at Kentucky, none of this is shocking. The talent is obvious. He’s a 7-footer with real perimeter touch, soft hands, vision you don’t usually see in a center, and enough rim protection to change games in a handful of possessions. When it’s rolling, he looks like a cheat code.

The flip side has always been discipline. You take the upside, you manage the chaos. At Illinois, that balance is still very much a work in progress.

For Kentucky fans watching from afar, it’s a familiar script. Massive highlight play? Check. Adrenaline spike from a building losing its mind? Check. Extra celebration that crosses the line and invites the officials into the moment? Unfortunately, check again.

At Rupp, those moments were annoying. At Illinois, this one was costly.

Why this can’t keep happening and why it doesn’t have to

The good news for Illinois is that this is fixable. This isn’t about physical limitations or a broken system. It’s about decision-making and maturity. It’s about understanding that at this level, one emotional moment can flip an entire afternoon.

Ivisic is still a huge talent. He is still capable of swinging games in a positive way with the same energy that just hurt his team here. If that edge gets channeled into sprinting back on defense instead of staring down opponents, into owning the moment instead of barking at officials, into letting the scoreboard talk instead of his mouth, he becomes the kind of player you absolutely want on the floor in the final five minutes — not someone you worry might hand the other team three free points.

Right now, though, the tape doesn’t lie. Nebraska walked out with a massive road win. Illinois walked out with a lesson. And Big Z walked off the floor having to answer the same question Kentucky fans used to ask:

Is the show worth the technicals?

If he ever decides the answer is yes, and that he does care, he’ll be a problem, in a good way.