SPORTS
Wednesday, Febuary 1, 2023 • The Daily Beacon
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Tennessee continuing success in SEC play behind backcourt play ANDREW PETERS Sports Editor
Though it lost to Kentucky on Jan. 14, No. 2 Tennessee (18-3, 7-1 SEC) won seven games in January and displayed some of its best basketball so far this season. One of the biggest reasons for that success is Zakai Zeigler. The sophomore guard has been on one of the best stretches of his career, averaging 17.25 points per game and 7.75 assists per game across the last four games. Zeigler recorded a double-double against LSU and a 22-point double-double against Texas. “I’m not sure there’s a guard in the country that has impacted the game as much as he has, especially in the month of January,” Barnes said. “I mean, he has been terrific, every area that you could ask him to be.” The key there is making his teammates better. Zeigler has made life easier for everyone on the court through his ball movement, especially the Vols’ big men. On Saturday, Zeigler helped Olivier Nkamoua reach a career-high 27 points. Zeigler’s play is drastically different than
that of November or December, when he was coming off the bench primarily looking to score the ball. “What we wanted to see him do earlier is exactly what he’s doing now,” Barnes said. “He’s embraced being more than a guy that can shoot the ball.” The duo of Zeigler and Santiago Vescovi has become one of the best in the SEC, combining intense defense with being a constant offensive threat. “I’m not sure there’s a better tandem right now in college basketball in terms of what those guys are doing and certainly what Z’s done as a point guard and taking care of the ball, getting assists,” Barnes said. “I’m not sure any point guard in the country has had a better impact on the game than he has.” The Vols made it out of January with just one loss, an encouraging sign for a time that often exposes teams that looked good through November and December. “January is a tough month in college basketball for everybody,” Barnes said. “Just the fact that you’ve played a lot, you’ve practiced a lot, now you get into February, which we know is an important month for everybody.” But January is just a fraction of the sea-
son. Tennessee, which is ranked No. 2 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 1 in the KenPom. com rankings, still has a month and change of the regular season left before getting into postseason play. Though it had a successful month of offense, Barnes believes defense will define Tennessee in February. “I’ll always start on the defensive end, where you’ve got to be really good,” Barnes said. “You’ve got to be good in ball-screen coverage. You’ve got to be able to win those individual battles.” The Vols will start off February on the road against Florida (12-9, 5-3). Though the Gators have struggled this season, Barnes recognizes how difficult an SEC game on the road can be. Tennessee is also 1-4 in its last five trips to Exactech Arena. The Vols and Gators tip off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday night. “I don’t care where you are, what level you’re at, it’s hard to win basketball games and we know that it’s going to be hard to go to Gainesville, Florida and get a win,” Barnes said. “It’s hard but we have to be locked in and go one day at a time and get better today, tomorrow and go play.”
Tennessee runs through pre-grame rituals ahead of its matchup with Tennessee Tech on Nov. 7, 2022 at Thompson-Boling Arena. File / The Daily Beacon
Jillian Hollingshead shines despite back-to-back Lady Vol losses CALEB JARREAU Staff Writer
Jillian Hollingshead caught the ball deep in the left corner on Monday in Baton Rouge. Without hesitation, she took the wide-open look, nailing her first three of the season. The lone three-pointer she made a season ago, while donning the red and black of Georgia, also came against LSU. Against LSU on Monday, Hollingshead finished with seven points and five rebounds in the 76-68 loss. Hollingshead also helped keep Angel Reese in check, preventing arguably the top post in the SEC from reaching her points average. The Georgia transfer has become more confident on the court, and it has become evident. Tennessee head coach Kellie Harper’s only complaint about Hollingshead the past two contests has been the lack of paint touches the Lady Vols are able to generate. Against LSU, failure to get paint touches affected the post unit as a whole. “I thought we got her a few touches,” Harper said. “We missed our post-players several times, in particular in the third quarter. I thought we should’ve got it inside a little bit more, but we missed them.” The Tigers crowded the paint in the second half on Monday, limiting Hollings-
head’s influence. Regardless, she decided to show off her range with a corner three. “We did not move the ball well,” Harper said. “They’re sitting in the paint, they don’t have to come out of the paint. They were trying everything they could do to stay in the paint.” Hollingshead’s performance Monday night was not a fluke. She shined on a national stage against UConn last week. She finished the game with 11 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes. “In terms of Jillian, the most disappointing thing was that we didn’t get her the ball enough,” Harper said. “There were times that she needed those touches and we just missed her.” A common theme has been Tennessee’s struggles to get the ball in the post. It’s an issue Harper says they have to address. “We just got to keep finding some movement, ball movement and player movement, when our first option breaks down,” she said. Harper and her staff have experienced their confidence in Hollingshead, both verbally and with her play on the floor. With the loss of Tamari Key, Tennessee’s 6-6 post who was diagnosed with seasonending blood clots in her lungs, Hollingshead is now the tallest active player. If you ask her teammates, they’ll tell you she
could compete for tallest on the team. Hollingshead is hitting her stride at the right time for Tennessee, during a crucial part of their conference schedule. “That was probably one of the most exciting things to come out of that game,” Harper said following Tennessee’s matchup with UConn. “I thought she played well in a big-time environment against a bigtime team.” The 6-foot-5 forward possesses guard skills, but also the length to hang with most bigs in the league. Harper has boasted of Hollingshead’s versatility. While she is mostly in the post for Tennessee, Hollingshead also gets practice reps with the guards. She doesn’t seem to have any issues with handling the ball in-game for the Lady Vols. With the momentum Hollingshead is picking up, and her likely earning more minutes following her standout games against UConn and in Baton Rouge, the Lady Vols may be adding another consistent scorer to the mix. “I think that’s good for her, it’s good for our team,” Harper said. “She’s skilled with size and you love to see that competitiveness come out of her. I think we can really, really grow from this. I’m really excited about how she’s played.”
Jillian Hollingshead elevates for a layup against UConn on Jan. 26, 2023. Ericksen Gomez-Villeda / The Daily Beacon