Point guard Zakai Zeigler out for Tennessee's exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne
Zakai Zeigler won’t play in Tennessee’s exhibition Tuesday night against Lenoir-Rhyne as the junior point guard continues working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in February.
After playing two exhibition games in three days, the Vols open the regular-season schedule Monday against Tennessee Tech (6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, SEC Network+) at Thompson-Boling Arena. They then go on the road to face Wisconsin on November 10 at the Kohl Center on November 10.
Tennessee, ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25, beat No. 4 Michigan State 89-88 in front of a near capacity crowd at the Breslin Center in East Lansing without Zeigler and fifth-year senior guard Santiago Vescovi.
Zakai Zeigler last season: 10.7 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals per game
Zeigler suffered the torn ACL that ended his sophomore season in the home win over Arkansas on February 28 last season and had surgery in March after the swelling in the knee subsided. He returned to practice with the Vols this fall, ramping up the amount of work he was doing during preseason practices this month.
“He’s starting to do more in practice,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said last week. “(On Tuesday) he pretty much went through the majority of practice.”
He averaged 10.7 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game before being lost to injury. Vescovi led Tennessee in minutes (32.3), points (12.5), three-point percentage (.370), threes made (91) and steals and was second in assists with 102.
Vescovi returned home to Uruguay last week to be with his family and his ailing grandmother. He’s scheduled to return to Knoxville this week and be available for the regular-season opener against Tennessee Tech.
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Up Next: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Tennessee Tech, Tuesday (Nov. 6), 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+
Vescovi last week was voted First Team All-SEC in the preseason media poll and Zeigler was voted Second Team All-SEC. Tennessee was picked to win the league, coming in ahead of No. 2 Texas A&M.
Without Zeigler and Vescovi, Tennessee was led by its two new transfers at Michigan State. Dalton Knecht, the fifth-year senior wing and Northern Colorado transfer, scored a game-high 28 points and USC Upstate transfer guard Jordan Gainey scored 20 points.
Jahmai Mashcak had 11 points and five rebounds, Jonas Aidoo scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds and Josiah-Jordan James and Tobe Awaka scored eight points each while combining for seven more boards.
“You’re just trying to build your team,” Barnes said after the win, and do things in that moment to help them moving forward and all the situations at the end of the game. We both don’t have everything in … neither team has everything in at this point, but a game like this will make you get it in quick.”
