Vols’ Zakai Zeigler returned to the game after leading in the first half with a knee injury.
Knoxville, Tenn. – Tennessee battle all night with the Kentucky Wildcats and their first-year head coach, Mark Pope.
Tennessee’s point guard, Zakai Zeigler left the game late in the first half after colliding with a pair of Kentucky Wildcats. Once he got up and limped off the court into the tunnel without even stopping at the team’s bench. Later, Tennessee notified that Zeigler was “warming up with intent to return.”
Zeigler jogged out onto the court with the team out of halftime and started the second half.
He provided a spark, but Tennessee continued to battle the Wildcats in the second half. Five times after tying the game at 35 apiece the Vols got the game within five.
On the fourth look of the possession for Tennessee with 00:54 to go in the game, the Vols get it back out to Chaz Lanier, and on the catch and release he sank the triple try to make it a one-point game, 74-73 Kentucky. However, four-made free throws in the final 00:25 kept the game out of reach for Tennessee.
My three takeaways following the 78-73 loss to the Cats:
1. No answer for Kentucky’s three-point shot.
Kentucky’s perimeter presence started early against Tennessee, five of its first six shots were all three-point attempts. They connected on four of them to make it a 12-4 game.
Here’s how it happened, Kentucky’s Jaxson Robinson sank the triple to make it 6-3. The sequence came after a block and defensive rebound by Robinson.
Ansley Almonor later got a corner three with Jordan Gainey sprinting over to get a hand in his face. That bucket comes off a second blocked layup on a Zakai Zeigler by Amari Williams. Koby Brea got the defensive board to set the play up.
That gave the Cats a 12-4 lead by the media timeout with 15:32 to go in the half.
After Tennessee strung together back-to-back field goals, they gave up two straight three-pointers to make it 21-13.
About a minute later, Robinson got the second-chance three-pointer from the top of the arc to make it 23-16. Almonor later got his third triple of the game, and was left wide open on his initial look to make it 26-20.
Tennessee seemingly opted to crowd the paint over guarding the three-point look in the first half.
Jaxson added to Kentucky’s scoring streak to five near the middle of the second half. Brea forced the turnover on Gainey and Robinson finished with a fastbreak three, 50-42 Cats.
Despite Tennessee’s adjustments, the Cats’ efficiency from the perimeter continued to keep the game mostly out of reach. UK’s five three-pointers of the half made it 71-63, en route to a 62.5% clip.
However, Tennessee’s defense forced the Cats to go on a three-plus minute scoring drought with under two minutes to go in the game. Tennessee closed in to make it a five-point game for the third time in the half with 4:10 to go. Unfortunately, the Vols would also enter a scoring drought.
Kentucky ended the game 50% from three, their 12 makes was one better than Tennessee who went 11-45 from three.
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Igor Miličić Jr. ignited his offense
It’s taken a while for Miličić to adjust to SEC play, against Kentucky he seemed to have found his shot. Entering the game, he was shooting 30% from three and the last time he had more than two triples came against Vanderbilt.
Miličić found his third three-pointer of the game, a season-best for the forward, early in the second half to make it 45-42 UK.
His career-high is 5 and it came against Davidson when he played for Charlotte on Nov. 2023.
Midway through the second half, he added a tough layup to pull Tennessee within five points, 58-53. Part of an effort that led to him leading the team in scoring. In fact, at that point, he was the only Vol in double-digit scoring with 16 points.
He also co-led the team with seven rebounds.
Miličić got one triple closer to his career-best on a trey that once again brought the Vols within five of the Cats.
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Zakai Zeigler minor setback
The point guard only had two points in the first half when snapped a near-three-minute scoring drought on a last-second contested layup to make it 13-9 Kentucky with 11:18 to go in the opening half.
His final shot of the first half resulted in the senior immediately limping off the court after a hard collision on his right knee.
He returned to the court at the start of the season half with his teammates.
Over the next 20 minutes, he led the team in scoring with 11 points by the 4:36 mark. At the same time, he was 4-6 from the field and his latest field goal made it a seven-point game.
However, he’d miss his final five attempts in the game.
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