Tennessee suffered a costly blow early in Tuesday’s 75-57 win over Arkansas.
The program announced Wednesday that Zakai Zeigler suffered a torn ACL. The injury ends the sophomore’s season.
“We know–beyond all doubt–that Zakai will use this challenge to author an inspiring comeback story,” the team said on Twitter. “He’ll have our boundless backing every step of the way.”
Playing every game for the 22-8 Volunteers this season, Zeigler averaged 10.7 points, an SEC-leading 5.4 assists, and 2.0 steals. The 5-foot-9 point guard fell and immediately grabbed his left knee three minutes into Tuesday’s matchup.
Losing the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award finalist is a pivotal blow for a Tennessee team hoping to make a deep run this March. Only guard Santiago Vescovi has averaged more minutes or points for the Vols than Zeigler.
Tennessee will close its regular season at Auburn this Saturday before embarking on the SEC and NCAA tournaments without Zeigler.