Former Tennessee basketball guard Dalton Knecht was already cemented in the hearts of Vol fans for his incredible 2023-24 season. The bracket he filled out ahead of the 2025-26 tournament may somehow put him in better standing.
Naturally, Knecht has his alma mater going all the way. As the 6-seed, he has Tennessee downing 11-seed Miami/Ohio, 3-seed Virginia, 2-seed Iowa State, 1-seed Michigan, 1-seed Arizona and finally 1-seed Duke in the title game.
That’s not the only pick that will tug at Vol fans’ heartstrings, though. Purdue, the team that beat him in the Elite Eight? Knecht has the 2-seed Boilermakers getting upset by 15-seed Queens in the first round. Alabama? He has the 4-seed Tide losing to 13-seed Hofstra. Kentucky? The 7-seed Wildcats aren’t getting past 10-seed Santa Clara. Vanderbilt? The 5-seed Commodores are losing to 12-seed McNeese State.
Knecht also has SEC foes 10-seed Texas A&M, 11-seed Texas and 10-seed Missouri losing in the Round of 64. He has 1-seed Florida losing in the Elite Eight, 4-seed Arkansas in the Sweet 16 and 8-seed Georgia in the Round of 32.
Dalton Knecht’s bracket!
Vols win the title 🔥
Queens stuns Purdue 👀
Hofstra > Alabama 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/wo3M4lg8hk— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 18, 2026
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At Tennessee, Knecht played just one season but made the absolute most of it. In a year where he won SEC Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American, he averaged 21.7 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 39.7% on threes. He also averaged 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
The 2-seed Vols made a run to the Elite Eight, knocking off 15-seed Saint Peter’s, 7-seed Texas and 3-seed Creighton before losing to 1-seed and eventual national runner-up Purdue.
Knecht currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers. He averages 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game on 44.8% shooting from the field.
