Dalton Knecht, No. 2 Tennessee Thrill March Madness Fans with Rout vs. Saint Peter’s

Andrew PetersMarch 22, 2024

Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

Tennessee basketball came into Thursday’s NCAA tournament matchup against St. Peter’s eager to avoid an upset against a team that made a miraculous Elite Eight run in 2022.

The No. 2 Vols had no trouble against the No. 15 Peacocks, picking up a dominant 83-49 win behind a big night from star guard Dalton Knecht. Tennessee will now take on No. 7 Texas in the Round of 32 on Saturday.

The All-American and SEC Player of the Year Knecht was locked in during his first NCAA tournament. The Northern Colorado transfer had 23 points and eight rebounds on an efficient 8-of-15 from the floor.

Vols’ big man Jonas Aidoo added 15 points and guard Zakai Zeigler had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

Knecht, who had seven games where he scored 30+ points this season, is looking to lead the Vols to their first Final Four appearance in program history this season. A strong start to the tournament has fans convinced he can do it.

Tennessee Basketball @Vol_Hoopswe like the easy ones
pic.twitter.com/YJqlMxTado

nermin @ovonerminDALTON YOUCANTGUARDME KNECHT 🍊

Jordan Moore @jordanmoore_21Dalton Knecht has now scored the most points in a single season by a Tennessee player since 1993-1994. (699). https://t.co/11RUnShecJ

Reece Van Haaften @Reece_VHDalton Knecht running down the court whispers “They can’t guard me.” #Vols

John Dunn @JxhnDunnDalton Knecht is pretty good at basketballing. 🤷‍♂️

¿ @M0HM0HI love Dalton Knecht pic.twitter.com/C2iwocfkLM

Landon Raby @lambo_raby10Knecht is just unfair

World Of College Basketball @WorldofCollege1Tennessee is beating the breaks off of St Peter’s with 8 minutes left to play. Dalton Knecht has 19.

Skinny Hardaway @Skinny_UnscrptdFirst time watching UT play this season, Dalton Knecht is the goods.

JJ @JoelJ612knecht a lottery pick

Diamond Vols @DiamondVolsCould you imagine a Jack Golkhe/Dalton Knecht final four matchup. 🤤

Roen Elbert @RoenElbertLoving what I’m seeing from Tennessee. They’re in my final four for a reason

Beating a No. 15 seed is to be expected, but the Vols’ dominance has fans ready for what could be a deep run. Tennessee still has a long road ahead, but with an elite scorer like Knecht and a solid group of veterans, it seems this could be the team that finally gets the Vols to the Final Four.