DETROIT — Dalton Knecht sat in a locker room inside Bridgestone Arena earlier this month, surrounded by cameras and recording devices.
For Tennessee, its postseason woes looked like they had arrived early following a quick exit from the SEC Tournament that featured all the hallmarks of the Vols' March struggles in an upset loss to Mississippi State that never felt particularly close.
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Knecht, the SEC Player of the Year was supposed to be the answer, the difference between an untimely NCAA Tournament departure and a historic run, but there were questions.
Knecht was still confident, but aware. A similar outing would end another season of promise.
"We know we'll be more ready because it's win or go home now," Knecht told reporters in Nashville on March 15. "We'll be ready to bring that physicality and aggressiveness."
Three-straight win-or-go-home games, three-straight wins for the 2-seed Vols.
Tennessee is back in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 and just the second time in program history after its latest triumph, an 82-75 win over 3-seed Creighton on Friday night in Detroit.
Now, the Vols are within reach of even more history, the program's first Final Four and the catalyst was their SEC Tournament defeat 15 days ago.
"I think (the loss) definitely opened our eyes that it can be done just like that," Knecht said inside a more joyous locker room inside Little Caesars Arena early Saturday morning. "The season can be over in the flash of an eye. We can be done in 40 minutes. It just shows that we've got to be ready and be the aggressor and be the more physical team from the jump. Our goal is to win that.
"We were bounced in the first round (of the SEC Tournament) and we don't want that feeling again. It got us more tightened up and ready to prove ourselves."
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Tennessee has been the more aggressive and physical team in every game it has played in the NCAA Tournament so far.
The Vols leaned on both to outlast 7-seed Texas in Charlotte a week ago. Friday, they needed more of it to build a double-digit lead off of an 18-0 run before needing to hold off the Bluejays down the stretch.
When Tennessee needed a shot, it was there behind a trio of shooters. Knecht scored a game-high 24 points against Creighton while Zakai Zeigler added 18 and Josiah-Jordan James scored 17.
And it couldn't have come at a better time. Tennessee was coming off of the kind of offensive performance that had bumped it from the NCAA Tournament before against Texas. Its defense and a couple of big shots late kept the Vols' season alive.
Against Creighton, Tennessee had its confidence back.
"We just played with confidence like we always do," Knecth said. "We made our shots. We went on that 18-0 run. Just going out there and playing defense, playing physical. We were we just confident shooting our shots, being ready."
WATCH ON VOLREPORT: Tennessee basketball is headed back to the Elite Eight
The stops were there again, too. Jahmai Mashack, who was thrust into the starting lineup before tip-off because fifth-year starting guard Santiago Vescovi was out with the flu, blocked two shots, recorded two steals and grabbed eight rebounds.
The Vols weren't going to ride into the Elite Eight on offense alone. Creighton, which trailed by as much as 16 in the second half, trimmed Tennessee's lead to three with six minutes to go. Then the Bluejays made just one shot from the field in a game-deciding, three-plus minute stretch.
Defense, again.
"I think that's just what we do," Mashack said. "It's what we do. I think it separates us as a team because guys think early pressure is going to happen. It just happens with basketball. But to sustain that for as long as we do, it wears on teams. That wears on teams, trust me."
So Tennessee is in the Elite Eight, facing down a familiar foe in 1-seed Purdue, which beat the Vols, 71-67 at the Maui Invitational in Honolulu in November.
A lot has changed in the last four months. A lot has changed in the last two weeks.
"They're a close knit group of guys. I really felt like after the SEC Tournament, they've done just an incredible job of getting after each other and holding each other to a higher level, higher standard," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "I think I do my job getting after them, but it's a whole lot easier when they start getting on each other....I can tell you, that's where the loss in the SEC Tournament helped us."
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