Zakai Zeigler on his dagger 3-pointer at Texas A&M: 'It's going up and it's going in'

The play was designed for Felix Okpara to catch a lob off from Jordan Gainey. No. 6 Tennessee was under its own goal against No. 7 Texas A&M Saturday afternoon, inbounding with a 72-69 lead with 23.0 seconds left in the game and just five seconds left on the shot clock. 

Okpara was flanked by Jahmai Mashack on his left and Chaz Lanier on his right, with all three standing across the paint, but Tennessee’s 6-foot-11 junior center couldn’t get any separation or an open look. 

“He didn’t get quite as deep under it,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said afterward. “We wanted him to get there early and try to get position underneath.”

It didn’t matter. Zakai Zeigler had already gotten his own position.

Zeigler, face-guarded by Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV at the foul line, cut hard from to the 3-point line, catching the inbound pass from Jordan Gainey and instantly letting the three fly just in front of Barnes and the Tennessee bench. 

THE DAGGER. WHO ELSE BUT Z. pic.twitter.com/fBfTulXHkD

— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) February 22, 2025

“‘Z’ made a great cut to get open,” Barnes said, “and he obviously had to shoot it.”

Who else to deliver the dagger but Zeigler, Tennessee’s unquestioned leader and senior point guard?

“I knew the play we were running,” Zeigler said, “and I told Jordan, I said, ‘Yo, if you got to pass it to me, it’s going up and it’s going in.’ Simple as that. I knew it was going in from the jump.”

The shot went in, giving Tennessee all the cushion it needed with a 75-69 lead with 21.1 seconds left, and Zeigler celebrated by turning to his teammates on the bench and flexing both arms. 

“It seems like the bigger the moment,” Barnes said, “he thrives on that.”

Zakai Zeigler has scored 35 points in second half of last two games

Zeigler finished with 16 points, seven assists and two rebounds in 33 minutes in Tennessee’s 77-69 win over Texas A&M Saturday afternoon at Reed Arena in College Station. 

For the second straight week, Zeigler starred in the second half. At A&M he scored 13 points and had five assists after halftime. He was 10-for-12 at the foul line, with the only shot he made being the last one and the biggest one. 

Last Saturday Zeigler scored all of his 22 points in the second half in the 81-75 win over Vanderbilt at Food City Center, rallying the Vols from what was as much as a 16-point deficit in the first half. 

“He’s such a special player,” Barnes said, “the things that he does for his teammates.”

The dagger three wasn’t the only big play Zeigler made a the 3-point line. With 1:02 left, Tennessee still clinging to a three-point lead, he blocked Taylor from behind on a three at the top of the key. 

Gainey grabbed the loose ball, got fouled and made two free throws on the other end to get the lead to five.

“What you see and the way you see him play,” Barnes said, “it’s hard to get guys to do that. But it’s just in his DNA. He’s never going to quit.”

Up Next: No. 6 Tennessee at LSU, Tuesday

The trio of Zeigler, Gainey and Chaz Lanier combined to score 60 of Tennessee’s 77 points in the win at Texas A&M, going a combined 12-for-22 from the 3-point line. Lanier had 30 points on a career-high eight 3-pointers and Gainey scored 14, including 10 in the final six minutes.

Tennessee (22-5, 9-5 SEC) stays on the road at LSU (14-12, 3-10) on Tuesday (9 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network), looking to extend its run of five wins over the last six games.

Zeigler said he can see his teammates “getting more and more confident” with each win.

“But I still feel like we haven’t played our best basketball in both halves,” Zeigler said, “playing our best on both ends of the floor. So I feel like once we put a game together like that, it’s going to be even scarier.”