Zakai Zeigler shares what it means to bounce back from Texas A&M loss with two strong wins

Zakai Zeigler wasn’t surprised with how Tennessee responded after suffering its first double-digit loss of the season against Texas A&M last week. Since then, the Vols have delivered perhaps their most complete performances of the year, winning back-to-back games against Arkansas and Vanderbilt by nearly 30 points each.

All five of Tennessee’s starters scored in double figures in an 88-53 win against the Commodores on Saturday. The Vols shot 45.2% from 3-point range, with Zeigler hitting four shots from deep as he finished with 14 points, five assists and two steals.

Speaking in front of media on Monday, Zeigler explained how the veteran makeup of the team allowed them not to get too down on themselves after the loss.

“It’s good,” he said. “Just seeing that we have older guys, we have to be able to do things and not dwell on the last game and not use that to bring us down, but use it to pick us up and see whatever we can learn from it.”

Santiago Vescovi also had a bounce-back game against Vanderbilt. After managing just five points in the loss to A&M, the senior guard scored 12 points on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc while also dishing out five assists. It marked his first time scoring double digits since Feb. 3 against Kentucky.

With the regular season getting into crunch time, it was an encouraging sign to see for Tennessee fans. The Vols have only six games remaining on their schedule and currently sit just one game back of Alabama for first place in the SEC. They defeated the Crimson Tide at home earlier in the year and face them again in a rematch on March 2.

As Zakai Zeigler mentioned, Tennessee has the benefit of experience on its side. All five starters are upperclassmen, many of whom have been teammates for several seasons. Zeigler is in his third season in Knoxville, while Vescovi is in his fifth year along with Josiah-Jordan James.

That experience has so far led the Vols to a 19-6 (9-3 SEC) record and has them in contention for a top seed come NCAA Tournament time. After making a run to the Sweet Sixteen this past season, they’ll hope to go even further in 2024.

Before then, though, they’ll focus on closing out the year strong as they are set to face four ranked teams in their final six games. Tennessee next has a matchup against Missouri at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday on the road.