Tennessee basketball won a pivotal game against No. 15 Missouri on Wednesday night. The Tigers had the lead going into halftime, but Zakai Zeigler and Tennessee powered past Missouri to win 85-81.
A poor first half put the Vols behind the eight ball, trailing for most of the first 20 minutes. Early turnovers led to Missouri taking the lead and holding onto it through halftime. That didn't slow down a pair of players that returned after missing the Florida game.
Zeigler finished the game with 21 points, which includes 15 second-half points. He missed Tennessee's win against Florida, which immediately impacted his return.
Igor Milicic Jr. also missed the Florida game, but he responded with an explosive performance, scoring 21 points and sharing the most points scored for the Vols' offense.
Missouri made a late-game push to upset the Vols, but they fell short thanks to clutch free-throw shooting by Tennessee. The Vols only shot 70% from the free-throw line, but they made enough late-game free throws to keep the Tigers from stealing the game late.
Zeigler and Milicic's performances were a huge statement for both players, while Chaz Lanier only shot three for seven from the field after taking over Tennessee's offense against Florida.
This is a big win for Tennessee, who has lost at least one SEC game every week since the start of conference play. That trend could change this week after Tennessee wins its toughest game of the week.
The Vols now turn to their unranked matchup against Oklahoma in Norman. While it doesn't seem like a challenging matchup on paper, it is a challenge to win on the road against any opponent in the SEC, and the Vols will have to win another road game to go 2-0 this week.