Tennessee basketball head coach Rick Barnes praised guard Dalton Knecht as one of the highest-level players in the country during an interview this week.
Barnes’ comments about Knecht came while the Tennessee head coach was talking to Jim Rome during an interview on The Jim Rome Show.
“He’s been a great addition to us because, you know, the last couple years we have struggled scoring the basketball,” Barnes said on the program. “We’ve been a pretty elite defensive team but, you know, you got to put the ball in the basket or you’re going to get into a grind every night. What he has done, even along with Jordan Gainey – Jordan led the nation in three-point shooting, his dad is on our staff. He’s got it going. He struggled like shooters can at times. But when you look at Dalton and what he is doing, because there is no doubt – I mean, when you think about it, you look at him, when teams get ready to scout and they’re looking and say, okay, we’ve got to control this guy some way. Or, they make up their mind we’re going to let him get all he can get, shut everybody else down. Which I don’t think many teams do it that way. But right now, I’m not sure there’s anybody playing at any higher level than Dalton is in the country.”
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Knecht has been on a tear during SEC play with 25+ points in six straight conference games including a 36-point and 39-point back-to-back stretch against Georgia and Florida.
Knecht is only the sixth Power Six player in the last 10 years to score 190 points in a six-game stretch and is the only SEC player on that list. Additionally, Knecht is one of two SEC players in “at least the last 19 seasons with 25-plus points in six straight games” according to U.T. Athletics.
Dalton Knecht Six Game Scoring Stretch:
1/30 vs South Carolina: 31 points
1/27 at Vanderbilt: 32 points
1/20 vs Alabama: 25 points
1/16 vs Florida: 39 points
1/13 at Georgia: 36 points
1/10 at Miss. State: 28 points
The other eye-opening aspect of Knecht’s run this season with the Vols is his ability to play on the road. The former Northern Colorado transfer is averaging 31.4 points per game in true road contests this season, which is favorable for Tennessee in their tough road game coming up this weekend.
No. 10 Kentucky is set to host Dalton Knecht and the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday night in Rupp Arena at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
