After trailing by 14 points, 31-17, through one quarter and by 24 points, 44-20, with under seven minutes left in the opening half, Serbia stormed back to clinch its spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics medal round.
Serbia took a late lead in regulation, but Australia forced overtime in the closing seconds and then took a three-point edge midway through the extra session. Serbia, though, scored the final eight points of the game over the last 2:05 at Bercy Arena to advance to the semifinals.
Plavšić, who is in his first Olympiad, and his countrymen have now won three consecutive games after falling in their opening affair. Serbia is seeking its third Olympic medal, having won silver in 2016 and 1996.
In addition, Plavšić is looking to become the third Tennessee men’s basketball player to win an Olympic medal. The prior two are Ernie Grunfeld (United States in 1976) and Allan Houston (United States in 2000).
Up next for Serbia is a semifinal matchup with Tuesday’s Brazil/United States victory. Action is slated for Thursday at either 11:30 a.m. ET or 3 p.m. ET. The winner of that game clinches a medal and advances to the final Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, while the loser heads to the bronze-medal contest Saturday at 5 a.m. ET.
A native of Ivanjica, Serbia, Plavšić is a 7-foot-1, 265-pound center who played at Tennessee for four years, from 2019-23. He aided the Volunteers to an 87-42 mark during his tenure that included three NCAA Tournament trips, a Sweet 16 berth and an SEC Tournament crown.
Plavšić is one of a school-record 32 representatives from Tennessee at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including three in the sport of basketball. Cierra Burdick won a bronze medal with the United States in women’s 3X3 basketball.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
Cover image courtesy of Jamie Squire/Getty Images.
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