Heading into tournament time, the Vols can be listless or unbeatable, sometimes both in the same game.
On February 15, the Volunteers went into the locker room at halftime, down 44-31 to Vanderbilt. Coach Rick Barnes had some words for his team, who had been listless on defense and offense, grabbing just 10 rebounds to Vandy’s 21. “We were awful,” said Barnes after the game. “I can’t explain why. I wish I could. We didn’t play with any pace. We had way too many defensive breakdowns. I told them that, at this time of year, you either wilt or you grow. If we’re going to grow, we have to have the mindset of getting better, looking at each other and holding each other accountable.”
Barnes was especially direct in his words to Zakai Zeigler, the 5-foot-9 point senior guard from Long Island, New York, the team’s heart and soul. Z, as Barnes calls him, had scored no points nor grabbed any rebounds in the first half. Said Barnes, “I asked him, ‘Who’s getting respect right now, and who’s not getting respect right now?’”
“He lit a little fire under us,” said Zeigler, with a wry smile. “I took an I’m-gonna-prove-him-wrong kinda mindset, play with more of a chip on my shoulder. In the second half we came out with a whole different kind of attitude.”
The Gutsy Comeback
Zeigler sparked the second-half scoring with an alley-oop lob to 6-foot-11 center Felix Okpara—the Ohio State transfer from Lagos, Nigeria—who slammed it home to cut Vandy’s lead to 44-33.
Guard Chaz Lanier, a North Florida transfer, made a jump shot to cut the lead to 44-35. After Vandy made a three, Zeigler nailed one of his own to make it 47-38, bringing the sold-out Thompson-Boling Arena crowd to its feet and the decibel level to “loud.”
After another Commodore three, senior guard Jahmai Mashack dribbled in for a lay-up. It was the ‘Dores by 10, 50-40. A pass from 6-foot-10 forward Igor Miličić Jr.—a Rovinj, Croatia, native who played a season at Virginia and two at Charlotte before transferring to UT—set up another Okpara slam (50-42).
Zeigler dribbled in for a reverse lay-up and a plus-one (50-45). Guard Jordan Gainey made two free throws and then another (50-47). After Vandy answered with a basket, Ziegler hit a three (52-50), Vandy hit a three (55-50), and Gainey made a floating jumper (55-52). Zeigler’s three tied it 55-55. Lanier’s lay-up gave UT the lead 57-55. Vandy tied it with free throws (57-57). Mashack’s free throw put UT up 58-57.
Led by Zeigler, one of the most relentless on-ball defenders in the nation, Tennessee played smothering defense against the Commodores, who kept coming back. After Vandy went up 59-58, Zeigler drove the lane for a jumper to go up 60-59 with six and a half minutes to go. After Vandy went up 61-60, Miličić made two free throws, then grabbed a Gainey pass on a fast break and drove down the floor for a jumper to put the Vols up 64-61. A pair of Vandy free throws cut the lead to 64-63, then Lanier hit a three to make it 67-63 with five minutes left. The crowd went wild, the decibel level ascending to “really loud.” The ’Dores fought back to 67-66, then Zeigler made a driving layup to go up 69-67. Vandy went up 70-69 on a three. Zeigler made two free throws to go up 71-70.
With 2:27 to go, Mashack hit a three from the right corner, to put the Vols up 74-40 and increase the decibel level to “deafening.” “His energy lifted everybody,” said Barnes, who, as it happened, had spent an hour on the phone with Mashack the night before, encouraging him to, “on those corner threes, when you’re open, take the shot.”
Gainey drove for a lay-up to give the Vols a 76-70 cushion. Vandy hit a three to cut the lead to 76-73 with a minute left. Zeigler hits two free throws (78-73). Vandy hit a three (78-76). Zeigler drove for the layup 80-76. Lanier added a free throw to ice it at 81-76.
Zeigler ended up with 22 points—all in the second half—and eight assists. Lanier had 21 points and eight rebounds. In the second half, UT outrebounded the Commodores 20 to 10.
The Postgame
“It was a heck of a game,” said Vanderbilt Coach Mark Byington, whose team fell to 17-8 with the loss. “They have a tremendous point guard. They brought tremendous energy. They had Zeigler on a high screen. He’s great in space. He has great decision-making. If I had to say one thing, it’s Zeigler. I want to make sure people understand how good Tennessee is. The crowd was great. You can play really well and lose in this league.”
“I thought Z got back to playing with a real chip on his shoulder. His competitive spirit showed up,” said Barnes. “He was determined, Strong on the ball. He’s best when he plays angry. He’s always been a fighter his whole life. He was terrific in the second half. He was locked in and seeing it all. His vision was great today.”
“My momma always told me the same thing,” said Zeigler, “‘Get mad. Get mad.’ If I ‘m playing angry, I might have a smile on my face but I might be a little bit mad. Playing angry, I feel like I am being a little bit more aggressive, you could say.”
“Putting two halves together is something we’re continuing to work on,” said Lanier.
How Far Can the Vols Go in March Madness?
Looking forward to UT’s prospects in the SEC and NCAA tournaments, Al Lesar of the Associated Press asked, “Which team will it be? The one that beat Florida by 20 or lost to Florida by 30?”
As Cityview went to press, the SEC had nine teams in the AP top 25—No. 1 Auburn (thanks, Bruce Pearl!), No. 2 Florida, No. 4 Alabama,
No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 15 Mizzou, No. 17 Kentucky, No. 21 Mississippi State, and No. 24 Ole Miss.
“It’s a historic season for this league,” said Barnes after the Vandy game. “It’s a great league. It’s going to get better. It’s the depth that each team can play with—and terrific coaches.”
The win over Vandy put the Vols at 21-5, with losses to Florida, Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Kentucky (twice)—and five games left, including mighty Alabama on March 1.
Barnes noted that his transfer starters—Milicic, Lanier, and Okpara—were still getting used to the day-in, day-out physical play of the SEC. “In this league you need guys who look life football players and play like footballs plays,” said Vandy coach Byington, wryly.
Barnes noted of Okpara, “Felix has grown in so many ways. At Ohio State he was really locked in to playing back on defense, but he’s grown into playing another way. Felix was really good today, playing with a real sense of purpose and passion all day long.”
Much of UT’s offense starts with Gainey and Zeigler coming off high screens and driving to the basket. UT will need Lanier to keep up his 40% shooting on 3-pointers (and Mashack to take those shots from the corners).
Sophomore 6-foot-9 forward Cade Phillips made strides in his game during the season but played only six and a half minutes against Vandy, as did fifth-year Hofstra transfer Darlinstone Dubar, who shot 40% on threes in previous seasons and went one for two from behind the arc against Vandy. Freshman guard Bishop Boswell played just three minutes. As Boswell said earlier in the season, “I’m just looking up to Zakai defensively, being a dog.”
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