Surprising update emerges on Zvonimir Ivisic’s status ahead of break

John Calipari Talks Kentucky’s Win Over North Carolina

As Kentucky goes through an impressive start to the 2023-24 season, the biggest question mark is still around big man Zvonimir Ivisic. He has been awaiting clearance from the NCAA to play in games all year, and he still doesn’t have an answer.

Now, as UK prepares for a holiday break, there could be “some concern” inside the building about what Ivisic’s next steps could be, according to The Athletic’s Kyle Tucker.

There’s a sense that Ivisic could opt to go back to Europe over the break and train for the NBA Draft overseas, Tucker said on X Tuesday night. It’s the latest chapter in the ongoing saga between the NCAA and “Big Z,” who is able to practice with the Wildcats.

John Calipari’s last update came ahead of Kentucky’s game against Kansas, and he said there’s still some time for the NCAA to make a call. Zvonimir Ivisic was accepted into the university in October, and the NCAA had 45 days to make a decision.

“We’ve got to hear on (Ivisic) in the next couple of days or he will not,” Calipari said.

“The NCAA has 45 days to make a judgement from the time he gets here. So there’s still a couple weeks left in that. So, if we’d have gotten him in earlier, we would know. But it is what it is. It’s not the NCAA – they’ve got a choice. Again, they get information, they ask questions, they get answers from the club and everybody. That’s where it is right now. My hope is they have enough information to make a decision before the game tomorrow.”

Kentucky is off to an impressive start to the year, entering Thursday’s game against Louisville with a 9-2 record. The Wildcats’ most recent victory came over North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic, marking a second top-10 victory of the year. That helped UK jump up to No. 9 in the latest AP Top 25.

Suffice to say, Calipari is happy with how his team looks in the early part of the year.

“How about Ugonna [Onyenso]? He just started practicing. He got the flu and could not travel with us,” Calipari revealed. “He flew in this morning, went to the shootaround, had to do what? Went in the bathroom. I can’t play him. He said, ‘I’m going to be fine.’ He helped us. Aaron [Bradshaw] gets a fourth foul, I’ve got to play him. I’m happy about him.”