Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler, the Southeastern Conference leader in assists, went down with a leg injury less than three minutes into the Volunteers’ game in Knoxville, Tenn., against Arkansas on Tuesday night and was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
Zeigler, a sophomore who entered Tuesday averaging 11.0 points and 5.5 assists for the No. 12 team in the nation, went to the floor without making contact with anyone and grabbed his left knee. A pair of Tennessee staffers helped Zeigler off the court and into the trainer’s room, as the 20-year-old was unable to put any weight on his left leg.
Zeigler had started 14 of Tennessee’s 29 games entering the night, but leads the team in minutes played. The Volunteers entered the game at 21-8 overall and 10-6 in the SEC, fourth in the conference standings.
Zeigler’s impact has been just as strong on the defensive end, as he has the third-most steals in the SEC (59). Earlier in the day Tuesday, the Atlanta Tipoff Club named him one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award.
The 5-foot-9 guard was named to the SEC’s All-Defensive and All-Freshman teams last season. On Saturday, Zeigler tied Tennessee’s career record for points-assists double-doubles with five.
–Field Level Media