Zeigler was everywhere against the Longhorns.
It wasn’t pretty — it was actually very ugly — but Tennessee got the job done on Saturday night against Texas. The Volunteers have plenty of experience winning games like this, thanks to their lights out defense.
The sparkplug of that defense? Zakai Zeigler.
The 5-foot-9 point guard’s effort on both ends of the floor is unmatched, but his work on the defensive end is what has made him special. The former diamond-in-the-rough prospect from New York was named the SEC’s defensive player of the year this season, which is quite the feat for such an undersized guard.
On Saturday against Texas, he showed the country exactly why he took home those honors. Texas head coach Rodney Terry was more than impressed.
“Dalton (Knecht) is a big-time player,” Terry said after the game. “The head of the snake is the little dude. The little dude causes a lot of problems out there. He’s all over the place defensively. He’s Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC. He’s causing all kind of havoc on that end of the floor.”
Tennessee flat out didn’t have it offensively against the Longhorns, but Zeigler’s effort on the other end of the floor kept the Volunteers in control for most of the night. Zeigler was everywhere, deflecting passes, stealing, playing lights out man defense — he was a huge reason why Texas was unable to capitalize on Tennessee’s poor shooting.
On the offensive end, Zeigler only had six points on the night and really never found his shooting stroke, but he added seven assists.
“Then you throw in that he can get into the teeth of the defense and get something for himself or create for a teammate,” Terry continued. “Dalton’s had a special year, but he probably didn’t have that special year if it weren’t for the little guy who can get into the teeth of the defense and create scoring opportunities for him. He’s the head of the snake. He’s a really terrific player and one that we had a lot of respect for.”
Zeigler certainly could have had a bigger assist number, but Tennessee couldn’t buy a jumpshot for most of the night.
He now moves on to face Creighton in the Sweet Sixteen, looking to advance Tennessee to the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history.