NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 biggest storylines for 1st day of games

NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 1st day of games

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 01: Associate head coach Jon Scheyer (R) of the Duke Blue Devils talks with Jeremy Roach #3 during their practice session ahead of the 2022 Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four at Caesars Superdome on April 1, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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NCAA Tournament Tennessee Volunteers guard Zakai Zeigler Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Tennessee looks to regain its footing without Zakai Zeigler

At one point in the season, Tennessee was one of the best teams in the country. Their peak was when they blew out a top-10 Texas squad to end up being ranked in the top-5. But ever since that moment, the Vols have struggled, with a record of 5-7. The offensive concerns started to show again, including scoring just 54 points each in losses to Kentucky and Florida.

Making matters worse, the team recently lost its starting point guard and heart-and-soul roster, Zakai Zeigler. He was second on the team with 10.7 ppg and had 5.4 apg, while making it onto another All-SEC defensive team. His replacement has been Jahmai Mashack, who did have a good game against Missouri in the SEC Tournament (14 points and 4 assists) but it just hasn’t been the same since the league guard got injured.

But is their opponent the right team to pull off the upset? Louisiana Lafayette won the Sun Belt to get here and has a true athlete to go up against the Vols’ frontcourt in Jordan Brown, who leads the team with 19.4 ppg and 8.7 rpg. With former St. John’s guard Greg Williams (13.1 ppg) also in the mix, the Cajuns may have Tennessee on upset alert.

It’s important to note that the Vols are still an elite defensive unit overall and against a mid-major, can still put the clamps on them. A good win by the 4-seed could ease doubts but a close game, or even a loss, is also possible.

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