NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dalton Knecht signed autographs and took pictures with young Tennessee fans who were clamoring for a moment of the Vols’ newest icon’s time following Tennessee’s 75-62 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday night.
Knecht finally made his way down to the bowels of Memorial Gymnasium to field questions from the media. More adoring fans awaited him.
Those fans were his teammates, most notably Jonas Aidoo, Jordan Gainey, Jahmai Mashack and JP Estrella, who fawned over the SEC’s out of nowhere star.
“Oh my gosh, it’s Dalton Knecht” and “The white mamba! The white mamba!” in high pitched voices were popular remarks from the group.
The group was mostly sarcastic and messing with their teammate. But who could blame them if they were dead serious? Knecht did to Vanderbilt what he’s done to everyone he’s played on the road this season. That’s dominate and put on a show.
encore! pic.twitter.com/vmgPx0C7Fc
— Tennessee Basketball (@Vol_Hoops) January 28, 2024
Knecht was just good in the first half, scoring 11 points while Vanderbilt built a five-point halftime advantage. Then the Northern Colorado transfer exploded for 21 second half points, including 12 straight at one point, as Tennessee took control of the game and avoided the upset.
The final three-pointer of the 12 straight stretch gave Tennessee a three-point lead and kickstarted a 10-0 run. But most of that run came with Knecht on the bench.
It was the latest example of what we’ve seen multiple time this season. Tennessee’s offense struggles and guys start playing a little tight. Knecht hits some big shots to spark the Vols, everyone relaxes and starts playing better.
“Oh yeah. I mean, I’m not going to tell you (it’s not),” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said on if it’s comforting to have a scorer like Knecht on his team. “You think about the night he had, 13 buckets on 21 attempts, pretty good night. … But you ask, is it good? It’s good. His teammates know what he’s capable of doing. They obviously start looking for him.”
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“Definitely,” junior point guard Zakai Zeigler said on if Knecht scoring loosens the team up. “We know DK, he’s going to get down hill and even if he don’t shoot it, he’s super unselfish so if he can’t get a shot, he’s going kick it out to us.”
Knecht’s scoring stretch is becoming remarkable. He’s scored 25-plus points in five straight games and is the second SEC player to do that in the last 19 years. Could Tennessee have overcome its first half deficit without Knecht’s 32 points on the night?
It’s possible, but it wouldn’t have been a drama free victory in the game’s final minutes like it ended up being Saturday night. What Knecht is doing is incredibly special. He’s averaging 31.4 points through five road games this season and, at this point, the performances come as no surprise.
“Honestly I would say it’s kind of a weird feeling because he’ll get 30, 35, 39 or whatever he gets, we walk into a locker room like, oh this? This is what he does every day,” Zeigler said of Knecht. “So it’s crazy for everybody else to see it, but for us it’s just regular DK and it’s just him being himself.”
Part of the intrigue around of Knecht’s success is that it nearly came out of nowhere. Two years at junior college, two more at Northern Colorado. Some recruiting sites were high on him after he entered the transfer portal this offseason but it wasn’t universal.
Knecht’s gone from playing for a below average Big Sky school in a gym with a capacity less than 3,000 to being one of the top contenders for the Wooden Award and dazzling in front of Big 10, ACC and SEC crowds.
Knecht is trying to take it in. As should Vol fans. And there were a lot of happy ones on hand Saturday night in Nashville to watch the latest edition of the Dalton Knecht show. Vanderbilt was the culprit.
