KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Two University of Tennessee men’s basketball players are semifinalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday afternoon by Atlanta Tipoff Club/Naismith Awards.
After forming the lone teammate duo on the 15-man Watch List announced Feb. 5, senior guards Jahmai Mashack and Zakai Zeigler are now the lone teammate pair listed among the 10 semifinalists.
This is the third consecutive year Zeigler is a semifinalist for the country’s premier defensive honor. Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner is the lone other player listed for the third season in a row, while just one other—Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey—has done it even the last two years. Mashack, meanwhile, is a semifinalist for the first time.
Zeigler is the two-time reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year and is one of just three players ever to win the award multiple times. He is also the lone four-time SEC All-Defensive Team designee, while just three others even have three such distinctions.
The 5-foot-9, 172-pounder from Long Island, N.Y., ranks No. 11 in SEC history with 239 career steals. This year alone, he is third in both total steals (58) and steals per game (1.93). His 4.80 career defensive box plus-minus (DBPM) is, per College Basketball Reference, top-10 among all SEC players (min. 50 games played) in the last 15 seasons (2010-25).
The 2024-25 Field of 68 National Defensive Player of the Year, Mashack has a 7.1 DBPM this season that ranks third nationally, according to College Basketball Reference. His 6.26 career mark is eighth-best at the Division I level (min. 50 games played) over the last 15 years (2010-25).
A 6-foot-4, 202-pounder out of Fontana, Calif., Mashack earned SEC All-Defensive Team plaudits. He has 49 steals and 19 blocks on the year, one of just nine Power Five players to reach both those numbers. Per Synergy, opponents are shooting just 32.8 percent against him as the primary defender.
Zeigler and Mashack have helped Tennessee post a defense that leads the nation in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency (88.5), field-goal percentage defense (37.7) and effective field-goal percentage defense (44.0). The Volunteers are also second in 3-point percentage defense (27.7) and seventh in scoring defense (61.9)
The four finalists for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year will be announced during the NCAA Tournament, with the award presented the first weekend of April in San Antonio, Texas.
Zeigler, Mashack and No. 8/6 Tennessee open their postseason slate Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals with a matchup against a to-be-determined opponent, live on ESPN from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
To keep up with the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team on social media, follow @Vol_Hoops on Instagram and X/Twitter, as well as /tennesseebasketball on Facebook.
NAISMITH DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALISTS
Cooper Flagg, Duke
Hayden Gray, UC San Diego
Denver Jones, Auburn
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Creighton
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State
Jahmai Mashack, Tennessee
Stevie Mitchell, Marquette
Kadary Richmond, St. John’s
Joseph Tugler, Houston
Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee
