Zakai Zeigler makes confident statement after elite performance vs. NC State
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Zakai Zeigler had his best game of the season thus far late Saturday night against NC State.
The Vols and Wolfpack played a great game at the Hall of Fame series in San Antonio, with Tennessee pulling away late to win 79-70. Despite a 10 p.m. start time for 2 east coast programs, the energy was high from start to finish.
Especially from Zeigler. The Vols point guard finished with 20 points, 8 assists, 4 steals and 3 rebounds and, alongside Jahmai Mashack, was able to shut down NC State guard DJ Horne, who was on fire from range early.
Following the game, Zeigler made a confident statement regarding his return from an ACL tear at the end of last season.
Asked #Vols guard Zakai Zeigler if he was sure he wasn’t back to 100% yet:
“I’m back. That’s all I can really say. I’m back.”
— Ben McKee (@benmckee14) December 17, 2023
Josiah-Jordan James’ performance from Saturday night can’t go unnoticed, either. The Vols veteran was an assassin Saturday night, finishing with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. He finished 6-10 from the field, including 5-7 from range.
The Vols have rattled off 4 straight wins since dropping 3 straight contests to Purdue, Kansas and North Carolina in November, just a brutal stretch for the Vols. Tennessee has built a solid resume despite sitting at 8-3 on the year, boasting wins at Wisconsin, vs. Illinois and Saturday night’s neutral site win over NC State, which is a fringe tournament team.
The Vols are back in action this Thursday against Tarleton State. After that, Tennessee will be off until January 2 when Norfolk State comes to town.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
