Tennessee Basketball forward Dalton Knecht certainly was going to be a big part of the Kentucky game Saturday – for better or for worse.
Knecht was quick to grab the reigns early as the No. 4 Vols tried to score against a bigger, taller and newly defensive-minded Wildcat front court. He wasn’t scared to go down low, even if he should have been given the fact that he had two shots blocked and missed a contested lay-up in the first half. However, that didn’t tell the entire tale.
In the first half of an 85-81 loss against No. 13 Kentucky, Knecht nailed a three and threw down a dunk. He also seemed to be forcing his game at times as he took two bad three-point attempts, one of which might have been one of the ugliest shots of his career.
Those sputtering moments from Knecht continued into the second half after the Vols trailed 33-29 at halftime. As it turned out, Knecht nor his teammates could close the deal, which gives Tennessee Basketball a 24-7final regular season record, 14-4 in the SEC and an outright basketball championship for the first time since 2008.
The question for Knecht, the Vols and the rest of the college basketball world, is just how Knecht will react when things aren’t going so swimmingly, as was certainly the case in the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena and for much of the play after intermission
There were certainly times in which Knecht looked like he was trying to do too much. Either his decision making or Kentucky’s defense made for a tough challenge in the paint. Did the Vols not have anyone that the Cats’ defense wasn’t focusing on, which was Knecht of course? Actually, a little bit of both combined with a lot of missed shots.
There were certainly times this season in which Knecht was the defensive focus, but the senior managed, along with his teammates, to find a better shot than any player could find on their own. Still, Knecht has a penchant for making statement (they used to be called bad) shots, as he did in the final moments of the first half with a three-pointer hoisted from closer to half court than the three-point line.
To be fair, Knecht could have certainly used the help when he found it. That wasn’t really there in the first half. While he had 19 first-half points, the Vols struggled from the field before intermission, hitting just eight-of-32 field goals. Tennessee Basketball finished the game hitting 28 of 74 shots for just 38-percent from the floor.
Regardless of the outcome, the Vols clearly need to be able to react much quicker to times when Knecht is struggling – or just let him takeover if he can. The latter is a bit scary in an elimination game. However, it’s hard to count out Knecht given his play this season. Still, wouldn’t a more balanced attack be more pertinent when Knecht is having an off night?
UT is still a national championship contender. However, there is cause for concern. While Knecht and his teammates had found a quick answers to bad shooting nights earlier in the season, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. And it had better not be the case for the remainder of the madness that is about to ensue.
One Response
Defenses will be fine tuned in tournament play to stop as much as possible the offense from Knecht. It’s obviously a good bet to then force the rest of the team to beat you.