How Zakai Zeigler injury could impact Tennessee basketball for March Madness and beyond

Zakai Zeigler is out for the season after suffering an ACL tear in his left knee Tuesday in Tennessee basketball's win against Arkansas, UT announced Wednesday.

The No. 14 Vols (22-8, 11-6 SEC) have their regular-season finale at Auburn on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) before heading into the SEC Tournament in Nashville and the NCAA Tournament.

Here is what Zeigler's injury means for Tennessee:

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The immediate fallout for Tennessee

Zeigler was Tennessee's primary point guard and averaging 28.7 minutes, second-most behind Santiago Vescovi. He is UT's lone true point guard and is certainly one of Tennessee's two most important players.

His loss is a major hit to a Tennessee team that still has aspirations of making a long NCAA Tournament run. He is paramount to UT's success on both ends of the court as one of the nation's best defensive guards and its best off-the-dribble offensive threat. It is the third time in Rick Barnes' tenure that a team with big NCAA Tournament hopes was hit by an untimely injury. UT was without Kyle Alexander in its second-round loss to Loyola Chicago in 2018 and did not have Olivier Nkamhoua in its second-round loss to Michigan in 2022.

The Vols will take a by-committee approach running the offense now, Vols coach Rick Barnes indicated Tuesday.

"Obviously, we won’t rely on one person to do it as much, which is fine," Barnes said.

Who Tennessee basketball will play at point guard

Tennessee's point guard options start with Tyreke Key, Jahmai Mashack and Vescovi. Key has been the primary backup behind Zeigler and is expected to play Saturday at Auburn after missing the past two games with an ankle injury.

Vescovi has played the point throughout his career, especially early when he arrived at UT following Lamonte Turner's decision to leave the Vols. He is best off the ball, but can run the offense.

Mashack is a newer option as his role has expanded rapidly in recent weeks. He expressed comfort in playing point guard and said he did so in high school. Barnes said he would not count out freshman B.J. Edwards.

Josiah-Jordan James has the ability to run the offense, which he did as a freshman.

"They know what we do," Barnes said. "Those guys have really good basketball IQ, they know what our offense is looking for. We’ve always told them, the more positions you can know from an execution standpoint is going to give you more of a chance to play."

What does it mean for next season?

Zeigler's injury will likely limit him into the nonconference portion of UT's 2023 season. As Tennessee's roster stands, Edwards and Mashack return as point guard options. Freddie Dilione, UT's top 2023 signee, enrolled early and has been practicing with the Vols since early January. He is expected to play point guard.

Tennessee could seek to add a point guard via the transfer portal. It pursued point guards in the 2022 offseason hoping to pair one with Zeigler after it had success with the duo of Kennedy Chandler and Zeigler in the 2021-22 season.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Zakai Zeigler injury: Tennessee basketball NCAA Tournament impact