“It’s cute”: Kentucky stars “don’t care” as Tennessee star Zakai Zeigler shows middle finger to Wildcats logo

A picture of Tennessee's Zakai Zeigler went viral before the Volunteers' Sweet 16 battle against Kentucky on Friday. The fan favorite is seen flipping a middle finger at the Wildcats logo during his team's second-round win against the UCLA Bruins.

UK players Lamont Butler, Brandon Garrison and Collin Chandler shared their thoughts on Zeigler's gesture.

"Yeah, I have seen it, just gives us a little bit more motivation," Butler said. "We're just gonna go out there, have fun. I mean, we're not really too worried about it, just be able to go out there and play."

"It's cute when you got a team like that who haven't beat us in how long," Garrison shared. "You know you're gonna be mad about that but we don't really care about that. They can do whatever but we'll be ready on the court."

"We did see the picture, no comment on it," Chandler said. "But yep, we saw it, we're ready."

Zakai Zeigler will look to bring his A-game against Kentucky. The senior is in the middle of his best season, averaging 13.7 points, 7.4 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on 41.3% shooting.

On the other end of the floor, Zeigler has made a case to become one of the finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Kentucky and Tennessee to face off in an NCAA tournament game for the first time

Kentucky and Tennessee have played each other 241 times, making their matchups one of the oldest rivalries in the nation. However, Friday will be the first time both teams face off in an NCAA tournament setting. UK currently leads the all-time series 163-78.

The two teams met twice this season, on Jan. 28 and Feb. 11. The BBN won both games by a single-digit scoring differential. Zakai Zeigler struggled in the first contest, shooting 27.8% overall, but bounced back weeks later with 17 points on a 63.6% clip.

However, ESPN's matchup predictor currently leans towards Tennessee, giving Kentucky just a 36.9% chance to advance to the Elite Eight. The winner will face the Houston Cougars or the 2024 runner-up Purdue Boilermakers.