Dalton Knecht, Tennessee Stand Tall in Second-Round Win over Texas
Despite a poor shooting performance, the Volunteers were able to keep their season and championship hopes alive behind their star wing.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Tennessee Volunteers stayed present on Saturday evening to persevere and advance to the Sweet 16.
A win over the Texas Longhorns surely wasn’t a given, and that was shown heavily in the stat sheet. At one point, 1-for-20 from three, and eventually 3-for-25 from three, was an abysmal department for the Volunteers at just 12% shooting behind the arc.
From the field, they were arguably just as poor. Only 22 makes on 65 shots to hand them a 33.8% shooting performance, this game could’ve easily been taken by the seventh-seeded Longhorns to go onto the next round.
But Dalton Knecht, Tennessee’s highly touted NBA wing prospect, wouldn’t be so easily deterred despite the fact he shot an uncharacteristic 1-for-8 from 3-point distance on the night. He, along with Jonas Aidoo, worked in tandem to help keep the surging Longhorns at bay down the stretch, as Texas had worked all game to take over the lead.
They never would though, as Knecht found many opportunities at the stripe, and most importantly in crunch time, showcasing again why he’s a potential lottery selection on a massive stage. Even with a less-than-average game, the 6-foot-6 senior’s willingness to battle through the trials Texas forced on him and his team helped Tennessee witness their tenth Sweet 16 bid in program history.
Four late game free throws in a situation of no more than a five-point differential, the final two he sank to bring the Volunteers’ lead to a two-possession game with just three seconds left gave his team enough to hang on and survive.
Tennessee will next have to face a much more formidable opponent into the next round though, having to see third-seeded Creighton who enters off a win over Oregon. On Friday, March 29, the Volunteers’ and Bluejays’ dogfight will be one to watch – as both of these teams are more than capable of reaching the Final Four.
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