Tennessee basketball blasts Lenoir-Rhyne in final exhibition without Zakai Zeigler
Dalton Knecht scurried down the lane and took off. The Tennessee basketball guard switched the ball from his right hand to his left hand and guiding it off the glass.
It was smooth and so was Tennessee's second and final exhibition for the most part.
The No. 9 Vols rolled over Lenoir-Rhyne in a 90-48 win Tuesday at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center to complete their exhibition slate unbeaten. The Vols beat No. 4 Michigan State 89-88 in their exhibition opener Sunday in East Lansing, Michigan.
Knecht, a Northern Colorado transfer, had 13 points. Jordan Gainey, a USC Upstate transfer, had 13 and made a team-high three 3-pointers. Jonas Aidoo had a team-leading 14 points.
Tennessee opens the season against Tennessee Tech on Monday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+).
Zakai Zeigler did not play in either exhibition
Zakai Zeigler didn't play in either of Tennessee's exhibitions as he makes his way back from an ACL injury in February and surgery in March. The junior guard sat on the bench Tuesday wearing a No. 25 jersey for Santiago Vescovi, who also missed both exhibitions while in Uruguay tending to a family matter.
Zeigler was voted preseason All-SEC after earning second-team All-SEC honors as a sophomore. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 assists in 28.7 minutes per game last season.
Cameron Carr makes most of opportunities
Cameron Carr played one minute against Michigan State on Sunday. He got a lot more run Tuesday and showed his potential. The freshman had five points and five rebounds in the first half. He finished with nine points and seven rebounds, matching J.P. Estrella and Josiah-Jordan James for the most for the Vols.
The 6-foot-5 guard was ranked the No. 56 prospect in the nation in the 247Sports Composite.
Tennessee played everyone, including D.J. Jefferson
The Vols played all 11 available scholarship players in their final tune-up. That included redshirt freshman guard D.J. Jefferson, the lone player who did get in against MSU.
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Jefferson, who redshirted last season, scored two points in seven minutes. He had a good block in the final minutes.
Estrella had a nice second-half spurt with six straight points.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee basketball blasts Lenoir-Rhyne in final exhibition
