Zakai Zeigler was a spectator this time last year when Tennessee reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Now he’s back to being the prolific point guard of the Volunteers, but the 5-foot-9, 171-pound junior from Long Island, New York, isn’t wanting to make this year’s surge about his return in any way.
Tennessee (26-8) is the second seed in the Midwest Region and will face third-seeded Creighton (25-9) late Friday night (approximately 10:10 on TBS) in a Sweet 16 pairing inside Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
“We’re all in this together,” Zeigler said last Saturday night after the Vols advanced with a 62-58 topping of Texas in a round-of-32 contest in Charlotte, North Carolina. “That started from the summertime when I wasn’t even practicing to the preseason, when I wasn’t playing yet. We’ve all stuck together, and I’m just glad we’ve taken that next step.
“I’m glad that we’re still dancing.”