Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler is closing down 2024 with a big weekly honor.
The Southeastern Conference named Zeigler the SEC Player of the Week on Monday after putting up a monster double-double against Middle Tennessee before the Christmas break.
With Tennessee down by six points to MTSU on Dec. 23, Zeigler’s 17 points and 15 rebounds helped propel the Vols to an 18-point win. Zeigler played all 20 minutes of the second half and recorded eight points, eight assists, and four rebounds to lock down the comeback win. The Vols’ senior guard also went 8-of-9 at the charity stripe to improve his free-throw percentage to nearly 84% on the season.
“He’s just so competitive. He did a good job,” Barnes said about Zeigler’s distribution of the basketball against MTSU. “We felt we could get some of those over-the-tops. And he wants to do that. And if we ever get post guys consistently running to the rim, they can do that. He’ll be willing to do that. And when we put the shooters out there, it does open up the court.”
🏀 SEC Player of the Week: Dec. 30
🟠 Zakai Zeigler@Vol_Hoops x #SECMBB pic.twitter.com/iVP6mMXNLu
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 30, 2024
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Zeigler was the only player in the game to record more than seven assists during the contest. According to UT Athletics, “Zeigler’s 15 assists matched Fred Jenkins’ ledger on Feb. 28, 1987, for the fifth-most in program history, with that also the most recent 15-assist performance by a Volunteer.”
Zeigler also recorded the highest single-game assist total by an SEC player in non-conference action since Nov. 15, 2019.
The MTSU game was Zeigler’s third overall double-double and second point-assist double-double this season, which have all come in the last four games. Zeigler had three early season games where he ended just one to two assists shy of a double-double as he is averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 assists per game through 12 games this season.
Zeigler is Tennessee’s second SEC Player of the Week recipient this season after Chaz Lanier earned the honor on Nov. 25.
No. 1 Tennessee will return to the court on Tuesday afternoon for a non-conference game against Norfolk State at 3:00 p.m. ET in Knoxville. The SEC slate will then officially open up on Saturday as Tennessee hosts No. 23 Arkansas in the conference opener from The Food City Center.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for more Tennessee basketball coverage including live, on-site notes from the Vols’ New Year’s Eve clash.
