Vols' guard Dalton Knecht named Co-SEC Player of the Week
On the heels of leading Tennessee to a comeback road victory at Georgia, guard Dalton Knecht was named the Co-SEC Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.
Knecht shared the weekly accolade with Alabama guard Mark Sears.
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Knecht was previously named the conference's player of the week in November, becoming the first Vols player to earn the distinction multiple times in the same season since Grant Williams in 2018-19.
In a week that included back-to-back road games, Knecht averaged 32.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
After trailing by as much as 15 at Mississippi State, Knecht scored 26 of his 28 total points, allowing Tennessee to tie the game late in the second half before Mississippi State pulled away in the final minute to win 77-72.
Knecht's performance against Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum three days later brought the Vols back from an 11-point deficit in the second half. He scored 36 points, including the go-ahead 3-pointer that put Tennessee up for good en route to an 85-79 win.
Knecht is averaging 31.3 points per game in true road games this season.
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"I’ve always believed that guys that have success like this, it goes back to their training, their work ethic, their passion and love for the game," Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said. "And again, Dalton’s one of those guys. You see him come back to the Food City Center (or) Pratt (Pavilion) every night. He’s going to be in there after practice. He’s one of those guys that puts his time in and when he gets going, I mean, he’s a confident player. He’s working really, really hard to try to become a better defensive player.”
Knecht, who transferred to Tennessee from Northern Colorado, has already put himself in elite company in his one season with the program.
His 25-plus points in consecutive games are the most by a Tennessee player since Admiral Schofield in December 2018, the most in two-straight conference games since Kevin Punter Jr. in January 2016 and the most in back-to-back conference road games since Chris Lofton in February 2006.
With two 35-plus point performances on the road this season, Knecht joins former Vols Allan Houston, Bernard King and Grant Williams.
"Just having the right mindset. Just go and be myself," Knecht said. "Big props to my teammates for getting me in the right spot and making it easier for me, as well as the coaches for putting me in those spots."
Sixth-ranked Tennessee (12-4, 2-1 SEC) hosts Florida (11-5, 1-2) at Food City Center at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
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