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How Norfolk State coach Robert Jones compares this Tennessee team to Dalton Knecht's Vols

IMG_3593by:Grant Ramey•01/02/25•

GrantRamey

Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Basketball | Tennessee Athletics
Chaz Lanier, Tennessee Basketball | Tennessee Athletics

Robert Jones started with the obvious. The Norfolk State head coach was asked Tuesday night to compare this season’s Tennessee Basketball team to last season’s version of the Vols.

After all, Norfolk State was Tennessee’s first opponent of 2024, an 87-50 win for the Vols at Food City Center on January 2, and the final one, too, a 67-52 win on New Year’s Eve. 

“I think that this is obviously a good team,” Jones said during his postgame press conference. “They’re No. 1 for a reason. But I do think last year they had maybe a little bit more firepower in a sense.”

That firepower, obviously, came Dalton Knecht. He was the SEC Player of the Year, a consensus First Team All-American and a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. 

Moving on from that kind of talent — Knecht averaged 21.7 points per game for the season and 25.5 points per game in SEC play — is never going to be easy. 

“He’s going be in the NBA player a long time,” Jones said. 

‘I do think that they’re probably a little bit more balanced. Last year might have been top heavy.’

Knecht was far from the only departure. Fifth-year seniors Josiah-Jordan James and Santiago Vescovi also said goodbye to the Vols. Four players entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, too, most notably starting center Jonas Aidoo (Arkansas) and power forward Tobe Awaka (Arizona).

Felix Okpara transferred from Ohio State to replace Aidoo as Tennessee’s center and the Vols also added shooting guard Chaz Lanier (North Florida), stretch forward Igor Milicic (Charlotte) and wing Darlinstone Dubar (Hofstra) while overhauling the roster.

“The big fella in the middle,” Jones said, referring to Aidoo last season, “might have been a little bit more dynamic than the guy that got now.”

Tennessee kept its most important returner on roster with point guard Zakai Zeigler back for his senior year. Through 13 games he’s averaging 11.7 points, 8.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. 

“Zeigler still is here,” Jones said. “He’s the engine … he made a lot of things happen for them. So with him coming back, you’re always gonna have a chance with that.”

Rick Barnes and his staff adding three starters out of the transfer portal — Lanier, Milicic and Okpara — and another contributor off the bench has given Tennessee much more than just a chance. 

Lanier is the team’s leading scorer at 19.6 points per game, shooting 45.9% from the 3-point line and 45.0% from the field. Milicic is averaging 10.7 points while leading the team in rebounding at 8.2 per game.  

Up Next: No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 23 Arkansas

No. 1 Tennessee (13-0) — at top of the rankings for the last four weeks and off to the second best start in program history — opens SEC play against Aidoo and No. 23 Arkansas (11-2) on Saturday (1 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN) at Food City Center.

The Vols are currently ranked No. 4 overall in the KenPom.com ratings, coming in at No. 2 in adjusted defensive efficiency (88.0) and No. 19 in adjusted offensive efficiency (118.6).

The numbers are slightly better than where Knecht’s Tennessee team was rated after its run to the Elite Eight last season. Those Vols finished No. 5 overall in KenPom and were ranked No. 3 on defense (90.2) and No. 28 on offense (116.8).  

“I do think that they’re probably a little bit more balanced,” Jones said of this Tennessee team. “Last year might have been top heavy. And I know last year we lost about like 37 here. So I don’t know if we are better and they’re worse or maybe we had a better game plan coming in this year than we did last year.”

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