The Tennessee men's basketball team has gotten off to a 4-3 start, including three straight losses. However, those three losses came to Purdue, Kansas, and North Carolina, with two on the road and all three by single digits, so the Volunteers certainly have nothing to hang their heads about.

On top of that, the Tennessee basketball team has seen Zakai Zeigler get off to a slow start after he suffered an ACL injury in late February that saw his season come to an end. But, head coach Rick Barnes is still optimistic about Zeigler and knows he is getting better and better with every game, per Jon Rothstein.

“Do I think he's 100 percent right now? I don't, but I think he's getting there. He's a lot closer now than he was two weeks ago. Every game is going to get him closer and closer to where he wants to be.”

Zeigler's minutes have ramped up in every game, although he has yet to score double digits this year. In 2022-2023, Zeigler averaged 10.7 PPG with 5.4 assists and is averaging just 4.9 PPG with 3.6 assists, but the necessary steps are being made.

The Tennessee basketball team faces George Mason on Tuesday before a massive top-25 clash with Illinois, and after that, they have a series of easier games with Georgia Southern, NC State, Tarleton State, and Norfolk State before diving into SEC play.

If Zakai Zeigler can return to the level of play he was at during the 2022-2023 season, the Tennessee basketball team could be looking at another deep run in March Madness.