Latest news casts shadow over Vols' chances of defeating Florida Gators on Saturday
The Tennessee Volunteers couldn't hit the ocean with a bowling ball while standing in the surf on Tuesday night in a 78-73 loss to Kentucky. The Vols were a ghastly 11-45 from beyond the arc, including a seemingly impossible 8-33 on uncontested threes. Things don't get any easier on Saturday afternoon against the #5 Florida […]
The Tennessee Volunteers couldn't hit the ocean with a bowling ball while standing in the surf on Tuesday night in a 78-73 loss to Kentucky. The Vols were a ghastly 11-45 from beyond the arc, including a seemingly impossible 8-33 on uncontested threes.
Things don't get any easier on Saturday afternoon against the #5 Florida Gators, who invade the Food City Center at Thompson-Boling Arena for a noon start. And things could end up being even tougher than expected.
PG Zakai Zeigler has been on the official availability report as questionable for the game with a knee injury that he sustained in the first half against Kentucky.
Zeigler went down to the floor after driving to the basket and landing awkwardly, hobbling off the floor and straight to the locker room. He returned to start the second half, but he didn't quite look himself the remainder of the game as far as his shiftiness and speed.
Tennessee will need Zeigler, and they'll need an effective version of himself to hang around with the Gators the second time around. Florida laid waste to then-number one UT back on January 7 Gainesville. On a night of 12-56 team shooting (4-29 from three), Zeigler was a co-leader for the Vols with 10 points on 4-12 shooting, but with just one assist to three turnovers. The rest of the box score for Tennessee was…..well, gross.
For what it's worth, Barnes indicated on Friday that he believes that Zeigler – who did not practice on Thursday – will play if he had to predict, stating "my gut feel is, knowing him, that he’ll be ready to play.”
We'll find out more when Zeigler and the Vols begin their warmups late Saturday morning ahead of tipoff. It's a game that Tennessee very much needs to win as their place in January at the top of the SEC and national college basketball mountaintops begins to feel more and more distant.
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