Everything that is amazing has to end. The Tennessee basketball team is one example of this, as they lost to Houston in the Elite Eight. The careers of the seniors, including Zakai Zeigler, have ended, as you are all already know.
Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack have dedicated themselves to the program for the last four seasons. That is why he was devastated by the season-ending loss to Houston. He has nothing to worry about, though.
That was the message Rick Barnes had for his point guard with Houston getting ready to celebrate the big win. Barnes subbed Zeigler off the floor late so he could get one last ovation from the UT fanbase. As he was leaving the court to hug Barnes, Zeigler told his head coach that he was sorry. Barnes told the media about this and added that he wasn’t going to accept that apology:
Rick Barnes and Zakai Zeigler were both quite emotional following the season-ending loss
Everything about this exchange is enough to make someone cry. Zeigler was down in the dumps for not helping lead Tennessee to the Final Four. Because of this, he felt like he let Barnes down. Barnes quickly shut down that notion, which is great to see.
At the end of the day, Zeigler indeed has nothing to be sorry about. It just wasn’t Tennessee’s day in the Elite Eight. We’ve got to give a lot of props to Kelvin Sampson and Houston too, as the Cougars looked sensational on both ends of the floor on Sunday.
As for Zeigler, he’s a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, a Third-Team All-American and he’ll no question go down as a Vols legend. Barnes has nothing but love for him and one loss to an elite team like Houston doesn’t take away from his legacy. He gave his all to the program and that’s something Vols fans will always appreciate.
