Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht landed on a pair of midseason watch lists on Wednesday. Knecht was one of 20 players on the Wooden Award Midseason Watch List and one of 10 players on the Julius Irving Award Midseason Watch List.
The Wooden Award is the top individual honor in college basketball given annually to the sport’s best player. Knecht wasn’t on the preseason watch list but his strong play this season has allowed him to shoot up the list.
Knecht is one of three players SEC players on the Wooden Award Watch List alongside Kentucky shooting guard Antonio Reeves and Auburn power forward Johnni Broome. The Northern Colorado transfer currently has the second best odds to win the nation’s top honors behind only the reigning winner— Purdue’s Zach Edey.
The Julius Irving Award is given annually to the nation’s top small forward. Knecht is the only SEC player on the list and he joins Jamison Battle (Ohio State), Keion Brooks (Washington), Tucker DeVries (Drake), Harrison Ingram (North Carolina), David Jones (Memphis), Dillon Jones (Weber State), Baylor Scheierman (Creighton), Jaylon Tyson (Cal) and Anton Watson (Gonzaga).
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Knecht is in the midst of a stellar super senior season. A Northern Colorado transfer, Knecht has broken onto the scene as one of the nation’s top players.
The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 20.1 points per game on 49% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three-point range. Knecht’s also added 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
After going through a quiet stretch in December, Knecht has regained form in SEC play and is averaging 28.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game through seven SEC games. Knecht has proven to be one of the best scorers in program history. He’s one of just seven players in program history to total 30 points five-plus times in a season and one of just 12 players to total 30 points five times in his career.
Knecht and the Vols are looking to bounce back from Tuesday night’s upset loss against South Carolina when they face No. 10 Kentucky in Rupp Arena on Saturday night.
