Mashack, Zeigler Selected as Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalists
March 21, 2025 | Men's Basketball
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two University of Tennessee men's basketball players are among the four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, as announced Friday afternoon by Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards.
Senior guard Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler comprise half the list of players who made the last cut for the elite distinction. They are joined by third-year finalist Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton and Joseph Tugler of Houston.
This is the first time in the award's existence—it started in 2017-18—two players from the same team are among the finalists. It has only happened once on the women's side, with Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina in 2022-23.
Mashack and Zeigler are not only the lone finalists, but were also the only teammates who even made the initial 15-man Watch List revealed Feb. 15 and/or the 10-player semifinalist group announced March 12.
The 2024-25 Field of 68 National Defensive Player of the Year, Mashack owns a defensive-box plus-minus (DBPM) of 6.6 this season, the fourth-best in the country, per College Basketball Reference. His career number is 6.12, which puts him No. 11 among Division I players (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
Mashack, who hails from Fontana, Calif., received SEC All-Defensive Team recognition after a regular season in which he held opponents to 32.8 percent shooting as the primary defender, as well as 0.585 points per possession on drives. The 6-foot-4, 202-pounder is one of only five Power Five players nationally with at least 55 steals and 20 blocks on the year.
Zeigler, a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist in 2022-23 and 2023-24, owns 247 career steals, a program record that puts him No. 10 in SEC history. This season alone, his 64 total steals and 1.94 steals per game both rank third in the SEC, with the former co-seventh on Tennessee's single-season list.
A 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is the first four-time SEC All-Defensive Team honoree ever and the third multiple-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year designee. His 4.80 career DBPM is No. 10 in the SEC (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
Buoyed by the elite defense from Mashack and Zeigler, Tennessee ranks third in the country in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (89.5). It is also third in 3-point percentage defense (28.2), third in effective field-goal percentage defense (44.7), fourth in field-goal percentage (38.3) and No. 11 in scoring defense (63.0).
The winner of the 2024-25 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year distinction will be announced April 6 in San Antonio, Texas, during Final Four weekend.
Mashack, Zeigler and sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (28-7, 12-6 SEC) are back in action Saturday at 9:40 p.m. at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., where they meet seventh-seeded UCLA in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, live on TNT and truTV.
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. Â
Senior guard Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler comprise half the list of players who made the last cut for the elite distinction. They are joined by third-year finalist Ryan Kalkbrenner of Creighton and Joseph Tugler of Houston.
This is the first time in the award's existence—it started in 2017-18—two players from the same team are among the finalists. It has only happened once on the women's side, with Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina in 2022-23.
Mashack and Zeigler are not only the lone finalists, but were also the only teammates who even made the initial 15-man Watch List revealed Feb. 15 and/or the 10-player semifinalist group announced March 12.
The 2024-25 Field of 68 National Defensive Player of the Year, Mashack owns a defensive-box plus-minus (DBPM) of 6.6 this season, the fourth-best in the country, per College Basketball Reference. His career number is 6.12, which puts him No. 11 among Division I players (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
Mashack, who hails from Fontana, Calif., received SEC All-Defensive Team recognition after a regular season in which he held opponents to 32.8 percent shooting as the primary defender, as well as 0.585 points per possession on drives. The 6-foot-4, 202-pounder is one of only five Power Five players nationally with at least 55 steals and 20 blocks on the year.
Zeigler, a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist in 2022-23 and 2023-24, owns 247 career steals, a program record that puts him No. 10 in SEC history. This season alone, his 64 total steals and 1.94 steals per game both rank third in the SEC, with the former co-seventh on Tennessee's single-season list.
A 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Long Island, N.Y., Zeigler is the first four-time SEC All-Defensive Team honoree ever and the third multiple-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year designee. His 4.80 career DBPM is No. 10 in the SEC (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
Buoyed by the elite defense from Mashack and Zeigler, Tennessee ranks third in the country in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (89.5). It is also third in 3-point percentage defense (28.2), third in effective field-goal percentage defense (44.7), fourth in field-goal percentage (38.3) and No. 11 in scoring defense (63.0).
The winner of the 2024-25 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year distinction will be announced April 6 in San Antonio, Texas, during Final Four weekend.
Mashack, Zeigler and sixth-ranked, second-seeded Tennessee (28-7, 12-6 SEC) are back in action Saturday at 9:40 p.m. at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., where they meet seventh-seeded UCLA in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, live on TNT and truTV.
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. Â
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