As incredible as the Tennessee basketball win over Florida was on Saturday, there's no question that fans were quite alarmed when star point guard Zakai Zeigler was in street clothes for the action. He was forced to miss the upset win with a knee injury.
Zeigler is a warrior, so you knew things were a bit serious with him not being given the green light to put his sneakers on. However, in some positive news for Rick Barnes and his program, it's looking like Zeigler won't miss any additional time. That's right, Zeigler himself said that he'll be back on the floor Wednesday night when the No. 4 Vols take on Mizzou:
Zakai Zeigler will be back for Tennessee against Missouri on Wednesday night, per source.
— @GrantRamey (@GrantRamey) February 3, 2025
The source is Zakai Zeigler, who said so himself last night on @utlockerroom.
"I'm good. I'll be back next game. Simple as that."
🔗https://t.co/mazOrT7B50 pic.twitter.com/WnIc4w4M2j
Zakai Zeigler is expected back for Tennessee on Wednesday against Missouri
Zeigler has looked like one of the best point guards in the country this season. With him out against Florida, Jordan Gainey stepped up in being the hardwood general for Barnes and he delivered in the best way possible. Not many people expected Tennessee to post a win, but that's exactly what happened.
Not only that, but it was a 20-point victory over the (then) No. 5 team in the country. Thanks to that result, the Vols moved up four spots in the latest AP poll, with Tennessee now ranked No. 4. Yes, the home loss to Kentucky stung, but the win over the Gators made up for it and then some.
This team may be riding high, but the fact of the matter is that UT can't afford to look past Mizzou. We don't expect that to happen, as Barnes is way too good/smart of a coach to let his players lose focus. Tennessee will need to keep operating at a high level and things will be made easier for the squad as a whole with Zeigler back and ready to put on a show.