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The player who was promised
Tennessee's been waiting for a scorer like Knecht since ... forever. His 39 points not only sunk Auburn, but also might signal the Vols could finally make a March run. Plus, DeVries also goes off, Kolek gets hurt, and more from Wednesday's games. Finally, don't expect Indiana to move on from Woodson.
Mike Miller & Jeff Goodman
February 29, 2024
Congrats to Caitlin Clark, who passed Lynette Woodard on the major-college women’s basketball scoring list with her 3,650th point last night. Next up? Pete Maravich’s overall NCAA scoring record of 3,667 points.
Let's get to Wednesday’s news.
1. ‘One of the great performances I've been able to see’
Tennessee’s relied on its overwhelming, nasty defense the last four seasons. Offense was secondary.
Dalton Knecht changed that. The 6-6 wing is a 20.8 ppg scorer (17th overall in D-I), and more importantly, the go-to guy in crunch time. That was evident during Wednesday’s 92-84 win over Auburn.
The Vols trailed 63-55 with 12 minutes left. So Knecht scored 25 of his career-high 39 points in those final 12 minutes. Auburn scored 21.
“We struggled to score and Dalton got us going,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “The last 12 minutes was one of the great performances I've been able to see.”
This wasn’t some series of open looks or breakaway dunks. These shots were NBA-worthy for their footwork and finish. He was content to pull up from anywhere. He could not be stopped. Auburn tried. (OK, there was one relatively easy dunk.)
“Dalton is terrific,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We thought we had guys who could guard him. When he went downhill, we could have offered more resistance.”
The No. 11 Tigers (21-7, 10-5 in SEC) played well enough to win on the road (if not for Knecht). Johni Broome was a beast (23 points, 9 boards, 5 assists), and they hit 40% of their 3s, en route to scoring 1.08 points per possession. That’s the most allowed by Tennessee in any of its wins.
No. 4 Tennessee (22-6, 12-3) not only kept pace with Alabama in the SEC race, but added a layer to its case to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. More importantly, this might turn public opinion about Tennessee’s chances in March.
After all, with an elite defense and an elite scorer, what’s stopping the Vols?
2. Drake’s triple-OT win keeps it in MVC race
Dalton Knecht wasn’t the only wing who carried his team on Wednesday night.