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March Madness: Ranking the top five Tennessee basketball Vols by importance in 2022 NCAA Tournament

By Caleb Calhoun

Feb 5, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and his teammates celebrate the last minutes of a victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2022; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) and his teammates celebrate the last minutes of a victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 11, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler (5) looks to pass the ball in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Amelie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 11, 2022; Tampa, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler (5) looks to pass the ball in the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Amelie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports /

In the SEC Tournament, Tennessee basketball used largely a seven-man rotation. It worked, as they won the title doing so. Rick Barnes could go 10-deep with Victor Bailey Jr. and Justin Powell and Jonas Aidoo and before Olivier Nkamhoua suffered a season-ending injury, he was able to go 11-deep. However, talent in March Madness outweighs depth.

Looking at that talent, who’s going to be most important for Rocky Top in the Big Dance? As we get set to look at all the key players for the tourney, the criteria for how crucial they are includes their skills, how unique they are to their position and how many alternatives to them there are.

All seven players in the rotation will be crucial, and the other three will definitely need to see some action at certain points. Let’s break down the key players Barnes will rely on the most, though, which suggests this should be his main rotation. Here is a ranking of Tennessee basketball’s five most important players in March Madness 2022.

Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Guard. Freshman. 5. 534. Zakai Zeigler. player

5’9″ 167 pounds

A New Yorker already beloved on Rocky Top, Zakai Zeigler comes in off the bench as a scoring point guard who provides a major spark for the team. Zeigler was supposed to redshirt this year, but the three-star out of Our Saviour Lutheran School; Long Island, N.Y. has proven himself worthy to play early.

For the year, Zeigler is averaging just under nine points a game. In two of three SEC Tournament games, he hit double figures. His averages also include over two and a half assists, just under two steals, 83.9 percent from the free throw line and 35.9 percent from three.

Zeigler is the one crucial player who has to come off the bench for the Vols. You could make a case for him being higher on the list, but as a true point guard, he has more competition at his role than anybody else, and he’s the second-best true point guard on the team right now. He’ll still matter in March Madness, though.

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