Ad Disclosure
Rick Barnes reportedly reveals plans for Zakai Zeigler in season opener vs. Tennessee Tech
By Mark Kern
Published:
It is still right in the middle of the football season, but college basketball is getting ready to start. Tennessee is considered one of the best teams in the country, as the Volunteers are the preseason No. 9 squad.
The 2023-24 season gets underway on Monday night, as the Volunteers host Tennessee Tech. If that wasn’t exciting enough news, the announcement by coach Rick Barnes regarding Zakai Zeigler should make Vols’ fans extremely happy.
According to former Vols football star Jayson Swain, who also works in local Knoxville sports radio, posted the following on social media Sunday night:
Rick Barnes said on The Nation tonight that junior point guard Zakai Zeigler will play in the season opener versus Tennessee Tech tomorrow night. I am so excited.
— Jayson Swain (@SwainEvent) November 6, 2023
Zeigler tore his ACL on Senior Night against the Arkansas Razorbacks last season, but is now back ready to go. Zeigler has missed both of Tennessee’s exhibition matchup against Michigan State and Lenoir-Rhyne.
He gives the Volunteers a dimension to the team they missed when he was out. He averaged 10.7 points and 2 steals but is his playmaking that makes him such a great player. He’s also a menace on the defensive end and one of the top defending point guards in the country.
Zeigler averaged 5.4 assists last year and is great at getting inside the paint and finding an open teammate. The game against Tennessee Tech is scheduled for 6:30 pm ET and will be on the SEC Network.
Besides the opener, the Volunteers have some interesting non-conference games such as Syracuse, North Carolina and Illinois in the first month and 3 days of the season.
