In familiar twist, Zeigler provides Vols with jolt in win over NC State
It seemed like a matter of time.
The display that Zakai Zeigler put on was nearly 10 months in the making. Since the Tennessee guard's season was derailed by an ACL tear late last season, his resurgence after returning to the lineup in the Vols' opener more than a month ago has been long-awaited.
It happened late Saturday night in San Antonio.
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Zeigler looked like his old self, providing Tennessee with a spark in a game against NC State that was closer than expected.
He answered runs, started a few and when the No. 12 Vols needed to hold off the Wolfpack late, he came up with clutch shots that secured a 79-70 victory at the Frost Bank Center.
Zeigler scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. He added eight assists, four steals and three rebounds and he was plus-11 in 38 minutes on the floor.
"I feel like (I was) just getting confident in getting downhill," Zeigler said. "It was opening up the court, not only for me but for my teammates and we were able to get whatever we want. We just played with pace and were able to get downhill and not let the defense beat us up."
There's no more waiting for Zeigler to return to form. He's back and that bodes well for Tennessee (8-3) as December begins to give way to SEC play.
"I'm back," Zeigler said. "That's all I can really say. I'm back."
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Key takeaways: Zakai Zeigler is back
"(Zeigler) in some ways, really dominated the tempo of the flow of the game in terms of what he did," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes added. "You look at his line. It was a great line. He knew what he needed to do. He knew how to get players involved, his teammates...He was terrific tonight, playing the most minutes that he's played all year."
Barnes has had a front row seat to Zeigler's rehabilitation.
He knew there was going to be difficulty for Zeigler to get back to the kind of play he was giving Tennessee before his injury and he knew that given Zeigler's mindset, it would be hard to convince him that he wasn't ready to put in the kind of minutes that he did on Saturday.
"Do I think he's a 100% physically? I don't know if I'd say that," Barnes said. "He's close. He knows he's close. But mentally he's definitely a 100% back."
MORE FROM VOLREPORT: Tennessee holds off NC State behind Zeigler, James
In a season where transfer guard Dalton Knecht has paced Tennessee in scoring, it was the Vols' veterans, including Zeigler that carried the team in ways that they have had to do at different points in their careers, especially with Knecht having a season-low two points.
Josiah-Jordan James, who led Tennessee in scoring with 23 points was paramount, creating separation with his fifth 3-pointer of the night after NC State tied the game at 60-60 with just over seven minutes left.
The performances from Zeigler and James were timely after the Vols' lackluster showing in the second half against Georgia Southern last week.
"I have so much confidence in and respect for these guys," Barnes said. "It's their team. They have been through a lot of games through the years and the other night, I wanted to get that (Georgia Southern) game over with where there was no doubt those younger guys could play. The older guys knew that I wasn't happy with them, but what they always do, they fixed it. We know when we play teams like (NC State), it's going to be a physical game. These guys are used to to it. The neat part for me at the end was their composure, their togetherness on the bench was terrific.
"They knew what they they had to do. I had to say very little during a timeout...Every guy out there is capable of making a shot. (Zeigler) made a big one, (James) made a big one and we got the stops we needed."
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