Top 10 SEC basketball players for the 2024-25 season
4. Zakai Zeigler, G, Tennessee
There were questions last year regarding how Zeigler would return from an ACL tear suffered late in the 2022-23 season. He answered them with his best collegiate campaign as a first-team All-SEC guard. Zeigler was solid offensively for Tennessee alongside volume scorer Dalton Knecht, averaging 11.8 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 34.4% from 3-point range. Zeigler and transfer guard Chaz Lanier will take on more of the scoring load in Knoxville with Knecht off to the NBA, but the 5-foot-9, 170-pound standout ultimately makes his living on defense. Zeigler has averaged 1.7 steals or more in the last three seasons for the Volunteers and is a lockdown on-ball defender who was named the 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. His ability on both ends of the floor undoubtedly makes him a conference player of the year candidate.
