Zakai Zeigler injury update: Tennessee star's status revealed vs. Florida

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is questionable to play against Florida on Saturday, according to the SEC injury report. Zeigler is battling a knee injury that he suffered in the Volunteers’ loss against Kentucky on Tuesday.

The injury occurred when Zeigler drove in for a layup with 2:17 remaining in the first half and his knee appeared to lock up. A foul was called on the play but Zeigler immediately stood and hobbled off the court toward the locker room.

Despite Tennessee fans’ immediate worst fears, Zeigler started the second half and finished the game. ESPN’s Molly McGrath provided further details on Zeigler’s injury during the broadcast.

“Zeigler was manually evaluated by Tennessee’s medical staff. It was determined he didn’t need any X-rays,” McGrath said. “They did not fear any structural damage. When he ran out of the tunnel to warm up, the entire arena had some relieved cheers.”

Unfortunately for Ziegler, he wasn’t able to give Volunteers fans much else to cheer about on Tuesday. In the loss, Zeigler shot 5-18 from the field and a poor 1-11 from beyond the arc. Now, Tennessee fans can only hope the star point guard is fully recovered by tip-off time against the Gators.

On a positive note, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes seemed optimistic about Zeigler’s recovery on Friday.

“He did not practice yesterday,” Barnes said before Friday’s practice. “I just walked in the building and haven’t heard where he’s at. My gut feel is, knowing him, that he’ll be ready to play.”

Barnes was also asked if there was any concern for Zeigler’s injury after he did not practice Thursday.

“No,” Barnes said. “Not at all. Not one bit.”

Even if Zeigler is on the court on Saturday, it won’t be an easy showdown for Tennessee. No. 5 Florida has won three games in a row and is one of the hottest teams in the country. Most recently, the Gators showed off their dominance in an 89-59 win over Georgia.

As usual, guard Walter Clayton Jr. was fantastic for the Gators. He finished the game with a team-high 17 points, five assists and five steals while shooting 7-12 from the floor. As one of the best on-ball defenders in the SEC, Zakai Zeigler will likely be matched up with Clayton if he’s healthy tomorrow.

Fans won’t have to wait much longer to find out if Zeigler takes the court. Tennessee and Florida will square off at noon ET on Saturday. The game will air live on ESPN.