UPDATE: On Saturday morning, it has surprisingly been revealed that Zeigler is ruled out to take on Florida. He was previously listed as questionable, with Barnes hinting he’d be good to go, but the stud PG won’t be on the floor for this one.
The No. 8 Tennessee Vols basketball team is riding a two-game losing streak right now and things aren't being made easier with No. 5 Florida coming to town on Saturday. The Vols were last in action on Tuesday, suffering a tough loss to No. 14 Kentucky.
In that defeat, plenty of hearts sank when standout point guard Zakai Zeigler went down with a knee injury late in the first half. Rick Barnes was worried about him coming off the floor, but Zeigler ended up stretching things out and he was ready to rock for the second half.
When he missed practice on Thursday, plenty of Tennessee fans were overcome with nerves. However, The injury is not a serious one and the expectation is that Zeigler will be suited up and in action for the 12 p.m. tip-off. He's officially listed as questionable, but again, the belief is that he'll be out there with his teammates:
Rick Barnes just told the media that Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler missed Thursday's practice in the wake of his injury scare against Kentucky.
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) January 31, 2025
Barnes is "not one bit" concerned about Zeigler missing practice.https://t.co/ksrWLR1auL
Tennessee PG Zakai Zeigler is expected to play against Florida on Saturday
Zeigler has been one of the most consistent players for Tennessee this season and more strong play will be needed from the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year. On top of that, Chaz Lanier needs to (hopefully) snap out of his funk.
With Zeigler, he's the straw that stirs the drink on offense, being the floor general for the Vols. There's a reason Barnes has so much love for this kid - he's always there to make big plays when his number is called.
It goes without saying, but Zeigler and the rest of the Vols are going to have revenge on their minds, as they want to avenge the 30-point loss against the Gators last month. When Florida and Tennessee last met, the Vols were No. 1 in the country, but the Gators absolutely demolished them.
The bad memories from that loss remain fresh, but Tennessee has a chance to make a statement in this one. The good news for them is that Zeigler is healthy and he'll be turning heads like normal.