(2) Tennessee is heading to the Sweet 16 after knocking (7) Texas out of the NCAA Tournament with a 62-58 win on Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina.
While Tennessee struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game, especially from the perimeter, the Vols survived and advanced past the Longhorns behind a strong defensive performance.
Dalton Knecht scored a game-high 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting but went 7-of-8 from the free throw line with a couple of clutch makes at the end of the game. Knecht also added in nine rebounds to nearly claim the double-double despite what some might call an off game considering his standards.
“They were just playing physical defense,” Knecht said after the game. “They were just running me off my screens and stuff and hedging the balls, making ball screens, and making everything just super tough for me, contesting my shots. They played great team defense. They were in the gaps.”
After Jonas Aidoo struggled to put the ball through the hoop in the first few minutes of the game, Tennessee turned to forward Tobe Awaka to see what he could do on that end. Awaka was quickly battling foul trouble but gave Tennessee some crucial production, scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in just 11 minutes on the court.
“I think overall my mindset was to just play aggressive but compose,” Awaka said after the game. “Obviously I got in some foul trouble. I think it’s a credit to our guards finding me in the right place and making it easy for me to score.”
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With Tennessee struggling to score throughout stretches of the game on Saturday, Josiah-Jordan James stepped up and hit some big shots. The fifth-year senior racked up nine points and nine rebounds in 28 minutes on the floor.
“My confidence level, first and foremost, it comes from the work I put in,” James said after the game. “Each and every guy here, we believe we’re the hardest working team in the country. When we get in situations like that, you’ve just got to rely on your work. Obviously my confidence comes from my coaches and my teammates. Every timeout, every huddle, they’re telling everybody to be aggressive and stay confident. It just goes back to my work and obviously my teammates.”
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Check out all three interviews from the NCAA Tournament second round below:
Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht, Tobe Awaka, Josiah-Jordan James
