LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) -- — Each time “Big Z” touched the ball on Saturday night, UK fans couldn’t take their eyes off the player.
When he made a shot or got a block, fans simply went crazy. It’s something that happened again and again.
We caught up with fans watching the game at LEX Live.
“He was insane,” said one fan. “It was dope,” said another.
“Its his first game back and he's already like low-key kind of carried the team right now and its great to see,” said Sydney Coffield, a UK student.
Fans have waited months to see Zvonimir Ivisic play in his first minutes for the team. He shared on Saturday “I’m free," signaling he was finally eligible.
The NCAA had been looking into whether he played professionally overseas.
“I’m extremely pumped about it, I think he got a raw deal from the NCAA,” said fan Sean Sutton. “For fans it has been brutal, there’s obviously been the billboard campaign.”
That billboard campaign put billboard saying “free Big Z” near an NCAA office. Sutton had donated to the campaign.
He thinks Big Z is one of the key pieces the team had been missing.
For other fans, Big Z could be that piece that puts the team over the hump as they head toward a potential tournament run.
“I think he’s gonna make a crazy difference,” Coffield said.
