Auburn had no answer for Dalton Knecht.
The Tigers tried to guard him one-on-one. It didn’t work. The double team slowed him down, but he found someone else to get a bucket. At one point, Auburn had three guys closing out on Knecht.
One, two or three defenders, Knecht got his on Wednesday night as Tennessee defeated Auburn. The win, in large part, was thanks to a second-half explosion from Knecht.
No. 11 Auburn was on a 23-6 run before Knecht stepped up. He hit a 3-pointer, then single-handedly outscored the Tigers 25-21 down the final 12 minutes of the game.
“That’s the performance that Dalton did,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. “I mean, what he did in the last about 12 minutes, I think, was just one of the great performances that I’ve been able to see.”
It was a sight to see for all 22,547 fans in Food City Center alongside Barnes.
Knecht was uber-efficient on his 39 points, just like the first time he hit that point total. Against Auburn, Knecht shot 12-of-21 from the field. Auburn threw everything it had at Knecht, and it wasn’t enough to slow him down.
“Bruce (Pearl) has been around a long time. We’ve all seen guys that can get that going maybe at a level like that,” Barnes said. “I mean, I’ll be honest with you, JJ Reddick did it. He torched us for (41) one night. And I’m telling you, when you sit there, you feel helpless because of the shots he makes and just trying to guard him the best you can. But when he gets it going, it’s hard to guard.”
The 6-foot-6 guard has continued to put up video game numbers for the Vols. Knecht is the only Division I player this season to record four 35-point performances while also being now the third SEC player with 35-plus points at least four times in a single season in the last 19 years.
The run has elevated Tennessee to the top of college basketball in the 2023-24 season. What was once the biggest weakness of Barnes’ coached teams — offense — has now been rejuvenated thanks to the transfer from Northern Colorado.
The offensive switch that allowed Knecht to thrive
Barnes decided to make a change. It was a simple change — get the ball to Knecht and get out of the way. The set allowed Knecht to use an off-ball screen to create space and usually draw a mismatch.
When the game called for it, it became Knecht’s to take over.
“We decided that at about the 12-minute mark,” Barnes said on when the offense shifted to Knecht. “It’s because we were struggling, and a lot had to do with them, and the players know it, and we knew we’ve seen him, again, do it at times, but it’s just what the game folded into, and we needed him to do it.”
The decision paid off. Knecht used screens and actions to get matched up with Johni Broome and went to work. He liked the matchup, too.
Knecht dribbled around Broome. He shot over Broome. He waved off a screen to keep the one-on-one in place. None of Knecht’s makes were assisted.
“It just gave me a lot more room just to isolate, kind of,” Knecht said. “Just to give me the whole side then if I want a screen to call for a screen. It worked.”
“At the end,” Barnes said, “we were just spacing out and trying to give him room to operate.”
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