Seth Greenberg calls out Tennessee starters: 'Absolutely no-showed' in SEC Tournament

After winning the outright SEC title to clinch the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, expectations were high for Tennessee entering Friday’s quarterfinal game. The Volunteers headed to Nashville with one of the best defenses in the country and an offense anchored by SEC Player of the Year Dalton Knecht, and the road to a tournament title started against Mississippi State.

That journey ended quicker than many expected as Mississippi State jumped out to a big lead early before coming away with the 73-56 victory. At one point, Tennessee found itself down by 23 points in the second half before starting to claw its way back. Knecht also struggled, going just 4-for-17 from the field for 14 points.

To ESPN’s Seth Greenberg, though, the Vols’ issues went beyond Knecht’s tough day. He said they fell at the feet of the rest of the starters – particularly on defense.

“They’re so reliant on Dalton Knecht at times, and they’ve got to defend,” Greenberg said on SportsCenter. “When they don’t defend, they’re not good offensively. When they’re not good offensively, they don’t defend. Three of their starters, absolutely no-showed today. [Jonas] Aidoo, he had five points. Josiah-[Jordan] James gets shut out, absolutely shut out. And Santi [Vescovi] goes for three. You can’t win at a high level – and Dalton Knecht, he struggled on the defensive end. They couldn’t defend the ball, they couldn’t keep it out of the post. They gave up 42 points in the paint. That’s not Tennessee basketball.

“When you look at Tennessee, when they win or when they lose, it’s real simple. It starts on the defensive end and it’s making three-point shots. In wins, they score pretty easy, 85 points a game. Losses, only 67. Opponents points per game … they’re not as connected, they’re not as active, they’re not as alert. And then, when they’re making shots, they run people off the three-point line because they’re playing with greater energy. When they don’t, you see what happens in their losses.”

Seth Greenberg: ‘The best thing Rick Barnes did today was sit Dalton Knecht’

As Tennessee found itself facing a 22-point deficit with 11:37 to play, Rick Barnes decided to pull his top scorer. Dalton Knecht headed to the bench for a little more than three minutes in the second half – in a move Seth Greenberg praised.

The offensive struggles were one part of the equation on Friday. Knecht also struggled defensively, and Greenberg said Barnes was sending a message by keeping him on the bench late in the game as Tennessee tried to mount a comeback. The purpose, Greenberg said, was not to just get that point across to Knecht.

It was pointed at the rest of the roster if the defensive effort isn’t where it needs to be.

“Look, to me, the best thing Rick Barnes did today was sit Dalton Knecht,” Greenberg said. “You say, why? He’s their best player, maybe he’s Player of the Year. If that dude doesn’t guard, he doesn’t get on the court because that is the foundation, the identity of Tennessee basketball. And you know what? You’ve got to send that message not just to Dalton Knecht. You’ve got to send that message to the rest of your team. I’m holding everyone accountable on the defensive end.

“They didn’t guard, they didn’t compete, their shot selection wasn’t great. And those three other upperclassmen, those guys can’t go for eight points. You talk about the number of minutes they played and the lack of productivity, those three guys have to be better. But Knecht’s got to defend.”