Key Vols Guard Ruled Out Against Florida Gators, Handlogten Out

The Gators will look to take down the Tennesse Volunteers once again on Saturday and a key guard is out of the equation

Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler is absent for Saturdays game / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Gainesville, Fla. — While there are no new surprises on the game day update availability report for the Florida Gators, their opponents have a noteworthy player confirmed as “out.”. 

Tennessee has confirmed that starting point guard Zakai Zeigler will miss the game against Florida. He has been dealing with a knee injury he sustained against Kentucky this past week and initially came into Saturday as “questionable.” 

Zeigler is averaging 12.3 points and 7.4 assists per game this season for the Volunteers and has been one of the best guards the SEC has. This is a big blow for the Volunteers. 

The only player that is on the availability report with Zeigler for Tennessee is J.P. Estrella, who is listed as “out” as well. This isn’t surprising though, as he’s out for the season after having surgery for a “lingering left foot injury.”

For the Gators, their only player on the availability report is Micah Handlogten. Handlogten is listed as “out” and it will most likely stay that way for the rest of the season barring any unforeseen turn of events. 

That’s because earlier this week Gators head coach Todd Golden told the media this week that he will “probably sit out the rest of year.” 

There were rumblings that he could’ve been a go for the Georgia game last Saturday but decided at the last minute that he would not hit the court and save his medical redshirt year. 

However, none of this is set in stone, so if Handlogten decided later down the road that he wanted to play, that is possible, but that is seen as unlikely. 

Florida’s game against Tennessee will tip off at noon and is being broadcast on ESPN.