KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Volunteers’ senior point guard Zakai Zeigler will not play in Saturday’s matchup against Florida, marking the end of his remarkable 51-game starting streak.
Zeigler suffered a right knee injury during the latter part of the first half in the team’s recent defeat against Kentucky. Although he managed to complete the entire second half of that game, he missed practice on Thursday to assess his condition.
A representative from Tennessee indicated that Zeigler’s situation is currently classified as day to day, leaving some uncertainty surrounding his potential return.
In his earlier career, Zeigler faced a significant setback when he injured his ACL late in his sophomore year, which sidelined him from participating in the NCAA Tournament. This affected his start in the subsequent junior year; however, he rebounded well, ultimately garnering accolades as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
In this season alone, Zeigler has been an essential contributor to the team, averaging 12.3 points per game while also leading the SEC with an impressive average of 7.4 assists.