Tennessee Vols' opening NCAA tournament matchup will be a family affair for Zakai Zeigler

The Tennessee Volunteers know who, when, and where they will begin their quest for the school's first Final Four berth and national title. For one Vol, it will have a little bit more meaning when Tennessee takes the court.

The Vols drew the 2 seed in the Midwest region and will play on Thursday (time still to be determined) in Charlotte, North Carolina against the 15 seed Saint Peters Peacocks.

For those thinking that team sounds familiar, that's the same school that knocked one of Tennessee's biggest rivals out of the tournament two years ago. The 15 seed Peacocks were the story of the tournament in 2022 as they knocked off 2 seed Kentucky on the way to the Elite Eight. 

However, the matchup this year has a particular intrigue for Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler. His younger half-brother Armoni is a true freshman guard for the Peacocks.

Armoni is not a starter but has still managed to contribute substantially as a freshman, averaging 19 minutes and 6.4 points per game for the season. He's reached double digit points on seven occasions off the bench, with his 14 points on three occasions being his season high.

It's conceivable that Armoni and Zakai could end up on the court at the same time facing off against each other. In fact, it's likely their paths will cross on the floor at some point. If so, then Armoni would certainly have his hands full with his half-brother, as Zakai was named the SEC defensive player of the year last week.

St. Peter's, one of two schools to initially offer Zakai before he ended up at Tennessee, finished their season 19-13 and won the MAAC tournament title over Fairfield 68-63. Now, they'll look to recreate their tournament magic from two years ago starting at the expense of the Vols.

It will truly be a sibling rivalry on Thursday in Charlotte. One that the Big Orange faithful hope the elder Zeigler comes away smiling from.