Zakai Zeigler did something Zakai Zeigler rarely does. Instead of looking to pass, Zeigler drilled a triple on the right wing in transition. The shot forced Georgia head coach Mike White to take a timeout and all but buried the Bulldogs in Tennessee’s 74-56 win on Wednesday night.
Despite Zeigler the timeout, the senior point guard made his way to the far end of the court anyway, riling up the crowd that had spent the vast majority of the previous 25 minutes quiet. It was Zakai Zeigler’s world. Georgia and the rest of the near sold out crowd at Thompson-Boling Arena were all just living in it.
“‘Z’ got it going there,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said.
That he did. A mere eight minutes earlier, Tennessee’s offense was lifeless and the Vols trailed No. 23 Georgia at halftime in, for all intents and purposes, a must win game for Tennessee’s SEC Championship and NCAA Tournament one-seed hopes.
But the undersized veteran came to the rescue. His steals led to transition baskets. Georgia’s inability to contain him off the dribble led to easy buckets for his teammates. And then his three-triples in 70 seconds capped off a 25-4 run that proved to be the knockout blow for the surging Bulldogs.
“His steal in the back court, all that, all little things, just really truly being Zakai. Trying to find a way to impact the game, whether it’s 94 feet away. … Just really being who he is.”
In a 4:55 stretch, Zeigler scored nine points, dished out four assists and snatched three steals. He directly contributed to 23 of the 25 points on the run.
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That’s part of the value of the senior guard. He’s been through too many SEC battles to count and has the DNA that leaves him unfazed by adversity. Tennessee has multiple rotational players that are green to the grind of conference play. Those battles have forged Zeigler over the last four years.
Zeigler finished the night with 16 points, seven assists and six steals— setting a single-game career-high and breaking the program career steals record in the process. His effort and composure was invaluable just like it was four days prior when he took over down the stretch at Texas.
“I’ll tell you what, I don’t know what I do without him,” Barnes said. “I mean, he’s my comfort blanket. He really is.”
Security blanket, DNA, heart and soul. Zeigler has been all those things and more for both Barnes and Tennessee basketball. He’s aware of it.
“I hate to say it but I know that,” Zeigler said of Barnes’ praise. “I know, sometimes coming down the court coach may be thinking something but I may see something that he may not see. Or he may see something I might not see. But I know that he’s got a lot of trust in me and just earning that trust from him and getting that trust from him is just a blessing.”
Tennessee needs to get Chaz Lanier going again and needs to find more options around the pass first point guard. But in the time being, Zeigler has been key in delivering a pair of crucial wins.
“He has been, really and truly, one of the great Volunteers,” Barnes said. “I’m telling you. I mean, it’s just amazing what he does and the way he goes about it every single day.”
