Rick Barnes on Zakai Zeiger: "Every game is going to get him closer and closer."

Rick Barnes knows that Tennessee's Zakai Zeiger isn't 100 percent after recovering from a torn ACL at the end of last season, but that doesn't mean that he's not getting closer to performing at full strength.

"Do I think he's 100 percent right now? I don't, but I think he's getting there," Barnes said this week on the College Hoops Today Podcast. "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."

The 5-9 Zeigler averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists, and two steals last season prior to his injury, but he is averaging only 4.9 points and 3.6 assists so far this year.

The Vols are 4-3 and ranked 15th in this week's ROTHSTEIN 45 entering tonight's game against George Mason.

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Jon Rothstein is not a FanDuel employee. The reporting of Rothstein is not subject to FanDuel's verification and does not represent the views or input of FanDuel. Betting based on Rothstein's reporting will not guarantee a successful outcome. Always do your own due diligence and use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

Rothstein has been a college basketball insider for CBS Sports since 2010 and a contributor to the CBS Broadcast Network since 2016. He joined FanDuel in 2022 as a Content Creator. Rothstein is also the host of the College Hoops Today Podcast via Compass Media Networks.