Zakai Zeigler Out for Key Matchup: Can Tennessee Overcome Florida Without Their Star Guard?
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler will be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Florida due to a knee injury.
The 8th-ranked Volunteers’ starting point guard was confirmed to be out in the official injury report released by the conference on Saturday morning.
Zeigler, who had sustained the injury during Tuesday’s matchup against Kentucky, briefly left the game but returned to play in the second half.
Despite his efforts to finish the game, Zeigler’s status became uncertain when he did not participate in Thursday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
As a result, his availability for Saturday’s game against the 5th-ranked Gators was in serious doubt.
A central figure for Tennessee, Zeigler has played in every game this season and leads the team in minutes, averaging 34.3 per contest.
He is not only the second-highest scorer on the team with 12.3 points per game but also dominates in other areas, posting a conference-leading 7.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
His all-around play and leadership have been key to the Volunteers’ success.
With Zeigler out, Tennessee will likely rely on sixth man Jordan Gainey to step into the primary ball-handling role.
While Gainey, a natural off-ball guard, may face a learning curve in running the offense, he has been productive in his usual role, averaging 10.8 points and 1.7 assists this season.
Additionally, forward Igor Milicic Jr. is the only other player in the rotation who contributes significantly in terms of assists, averaging at least 2 per game.
The Volunteers (17-4, 4-4 SEC) will face off against the Gators (18-2, 5-2 SEC) at noon ET on Saturday, airing live on ESPN.
Despite Zeigler’s absence, Tennessee enters the game as a 3-point favorite, according to bet365.
Tennessee residents interested in placing a bet on the game can use the bet365 Tennessee bonus code to do so.
