The timetable of Zakai Zeigler's return to the court for the Tennessee men's basketball team remains unclear but expectations remain high for the junior guard.
Two weeks away from the Vols' season opener against Tennessee Tech, Zeigler was tabbed to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Preseason Watch List on Monday.
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Zeigler, who was named a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection last week, averaged 10.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a sophomore last season.
Zeigler suffered a season-ending ACL tear last February and missed the remainder of Tennessee's season, which included a Sweet 16 run in the NCAA Tournament.
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"(Rehab) has been going really well," Zeigler said earlier this month. "There's no set date or timeline or anything right now. Just listening to the doctors. Just listening to (athletic trainer) Chad (Newman) and (director of performance Garrett Medenwald) and listening to everything they say. We've got to take things slow. That's probably the hardest part but it's going really, really well."
He is expected to return this season as part of a veteran heavy Vols' roster that includes fifth-year senior guards Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, as well as junior guard Jahmai Mashack and junior forward Jonas Aidoo.
"We haven't thought about (when Zeigler will play) yet," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama. "He's doing his part. He has from day one. But again, he hasn't done anything with us up and down the court yet. And it's really, to me, it's day to day."
Tennessee will play Michigan State in a high-profile exhibition game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) and complete its exhibition slate against Lenoir-Rhyne at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center on Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network Plus.
The Vols will host Tennessee Tech in their season opener at Food City Center on Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network Plus.
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