Serbia’s Olympic run fell one game short of the final, but former Tennessee men’s basketball center Uroš Plavšić still has a chance to win a medal in Paris.
After an overtime win against Australia, Serbia nearly upset gold medal favorite Team USA. But Serbia blew a 14-point lead at the end of the third quarter and lost the semifinal matchup 95-91 on Thursday. USA outscored Serbia 32-15 in the fourth quarter to come back and keep its hope of a fifth straight gold medal alive.
Serbia will now play Germany in the bronze medal game at 5 a.m. Saturday. Team USA will face host nation France for a gold medal Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network).
Serbia lost all three games to Team USA this summer, suffering a 110-84 loss to Team USA in group play. Plavšić did not play in the group play or semifinal game, though he did play in Serbia’s exhibition against Team USA ahead of the Olympics, scoring four points with one rebound in 13 minutes off the bench. Team USA won the exhibition 105-79.
Plavšić, who played for the Vols from 2019-23, went undrafted after his college career. The 7-foot-1 center played with the Atlanta Hawks in the 2023 NBA Summer League before playing professionally in Serbia for Mega Belgrade last season.
Plavšić said he didn’t expect to get an opportunity with Serbia this summer, but it was a great opportunity to play with the national team, which includes three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
“I had an opportunity to learn from the best basketball player in the world,” Plavšić said Tuesday. “To practice with (Jokić) for two months, it’s been nothing but amazing. It’s a huge privilege to represent your country in the Olympics.”
Plavšić made 45 starts while playing for Tennessee and averaged 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. The Vols won the 2022 SEC Tournament championship and made one Sweet 16 appearance during his time in Knoxville.
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 09:58:00
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