Tennessee basketball’s backcourt was fantastic on the defensive end in the Vols’ 65-59 win over LSU on Tuesday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The duo of Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack did what they’re known for and held LSU’s top offensive players under their season averages. Following the game, LSU head coach Matt McMahon had a unique comparison for what facing Zeigler and Mashack is like.
“Probably some over dribbling and against a Mashack or Zeigler, that’s just not a good decision,” McMahon said. “Like a lockdown cornerback in the NFL, you’re not going to beat them, and if you do, it’s very rare.”
Zeigler and Mashack spent their evening guarding LSU’s two leading scorers Cam Carter and Jordan Sears as well as freshman point guard Curtis Givens. The duo helped disrupt everything the trio and Tigers’ offense tried to do.
Givens and Carter started for the Tigers. The freshman Givens turned it over three times and didn’t dish out a single assist. Carter is LSU’s leading scorer, averaging 16.7 points per game. The Kansas State transfer totaled only 12 points on three-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
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Sears comes off the bench for LSU and is averaging 11.8 points per game. The Vols held him to just two points on zero-of-four shooting from the field.
Tennessee’s defensive effort against LSU was a team one but the senior duo of Zeigler and Mashack were responsible for a great deal of the success. Zeigler totaled two steals while Mashack added another on a night where his physicality gave the Tigers fits on both ends of the court.
“I think Tennessee, their physicality, their toughness, really disruptive,” McMahon said. “Zeigler and Mashack, I’d argue, are probably two of the five best individual defenders in the country, and so we just weren’t able to create enough good looks there.”
Tennessee needs another stout defensive performance from Zeigler and Mashack on Saturday when the Vols host No. 6 Alabama and its daunted offense at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tipoff between the Vols and Crimson Tide is at 4 p.m. ET. ESPN is broadcasting the game.
