University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics
Zeigler Collects USBWA Third Team All-America Recognition
March 19, 2025 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Zakai Zeigler of the University of Tennessee men's basketball team is a United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Third Team All-American, as announced Wednesday afternoon.
The USBWA is one of four voting bodies—the others are the Associated Press, the NABC and The Sporting News—whose All-America teams are formally recognized by the NCAA that also, in aggregate, determine the consensus All-Americans. It is the last of that quartet to release its selections.
Zeigler garnered Third Team All-America plaudits from each of the four primary outlets. He is one of 14 players to receive first-, second- or third-team All-American distinction from all of them. Just 16 total competitors, including Tennessee fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, made that cut on any of the lists.
A member of the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot and a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, Zeigler is rated as the seventh-best player in the nation by EvanMiya.com and the eighth-best by KenPom.com.
The senior guard is averaging 13.8 points, 7.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in his fourth and final collegiate season. He picked up SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC accolades from the league's coaches for the second season in a row.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is both, for the third consecutive campaign, among 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder is also a finalist for both the Lute Olson Award and the Nolan Richardson Award.
Zeigler and sixth-ranked Tennessee (27-7, 12-6 SEC) start NCAA Tournament action, seeded second in the Midwest Region, Thursday at 6:50 p.m. at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., where they will face No. 15-seeded Wofford, live on TNT.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
2024-25 USBWA ALL-AMERICANS
FIRST TEAM
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Johni Broome, Auburn
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
SECOND TEAM
Kam Jones, Marquette
J.T. Toppin, Texas Tech
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
P.J. Haggerty, Memphis
R.J. Luis Jr., St. John's
THIRD TEAM
John Tonje, Wisconsin
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Eric Dixon, Villanova
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
HONORABLE MENTION
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Bennett Stirtz, Drake
The USBWA is one of four voting bodies—the others are the Associated Press, the NABC and The Sporting News—whose All-America teams are formally recognized by the NCAA that also, in aggregate, determine the consensus All-Americans. It is the last of that quartet to release its selections.
Zeigler garnered Third Team All-America plaudits from each of the four primary outlets. He is one of 14 players to receive first-, second- or third-team All-American distinction from all of them. Just 16 total competitors, including Tennessee fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier, made that cut on any of the lists.
A member of the Wooden Award Top 15 National Ballot and a finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, Zeigler is rated as the seventh-best player in the nation by EvanMiya.com and the eighth-best by KenPom.com.
The senior guard is averaging 13.8 points, 7.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in his fourth and final collegiate season. He picked up SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC accolades from the league's coaches for the second season in a row.
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is both, for the third consecutive campaign, among 10 semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award. The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder is also a finalist for both the Lute Olson Award and the Nolan Richardson Award.
Zeigler and sixth-ranked Tennessee (27-7, 12-6 SEC) start NCAA Tournament action, seeded second in the Midwest Region, Thursday at 6:50 p.m. at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., where they will face No. 15-seeded Wofford, live on TNT.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men's basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
2024-25 USBWA ALL-AMERICANS
FIRST TEAM
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Johni Broome, Auburn
Mark Sears, Alabama
Braden Smith, Purdue
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
SECOND TEAM
Kam Jones, Marquette
J.T. Toppin, Texas Tech
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
P.J. Haggerty, Memphis
R.J. Luis Jr., St. John's
THIRD TEAM
John Tonje, Wisconsin
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
Eric Dixon, Villanova
L.J. Cryer, Houston
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
HONORABLE MENTION
Donovan Dent, New Mexico
Bennett Stirtz, Drake
Players Mentioned
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