Rick Barnes updates the injury status of Tennessee's Dalton Knecht, Tobe Awaka and Freddie Dilione
Dalton Knecht is “progressing” and considered day-to-day with a sprained left ankle, Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said before practice Monday afternoon.
“I think we’ll know more tomorrow,” Barnes said. “But he is moving around doing what we’ve asked him to do and he tells me he feels okay. But we’ll see. Again, I just think it’s a day-by-day right now.”
Tennessee (4-3) hosts George Mason (7-1) on Tuesday, a 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time start on SEC Network+ at Thompson-Boling Arena.
Barnes said Knecht’s availability against George Mason will be depend on how Knecht feels.
“If he wants to play, if he’s capable,” Barnes said. “We’ll hold him out (if) we don’t think he’s ready. And players like that, they want to play and we’ll leave it up at what (team trainer) Chad (Newman) and he thinks. But again, we’ll know more after practice today.”
Up Next: Tennessee vs. George Mason, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+
Barnes said sophomore power forward Tobe Awaka (ankle) was “full go” in practice on Sunday.
“If things stay like it is, he will (play),” Barnes said of Awaka’s availability for the George Mason game. “He’s cleared and he had a good day yesterday and we expect him to do it today.”
Redshirt freshman guard Freddie Dilione, who has been out since November 14 with a left foot injury, has returned to practice in a limited role.
“He’s starting to work his way back in,” Barnes said. “He hasn’t been full going practice yet. But I think we’ll be able to use him some tomorrow if it goes well today in practice.”
Knecht is coming off a 37-point performance in Tennessee’s 100-92 loss at North Carolina on Wednesday in the ACC-SEC Challenge at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. On the season he’s averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 40.5% from the 3-point line.
In three true road games against Power 5 competition — the exhibition win at Michigan State on October 29, the win at Wisconsin on November 10 and this week’s trip to Carolina — Knecht has combined for 89 points on just 48 shots.
Dalton Knecht: 20.3 points per game, 50.5% FG, 40.5% 3FG
His 37 points at North Carolina came on 13-for-17 shooting from the floor. He made a season-high four 3-pointers and went 7-for-8 at the foul line. He scored 22 in the second half alone, making 8 of 9 shots.
Knecht became one of just three Tennessee players to score 37 or more points in a game in the least 33 years, with Grant Williams, who did it twice, and Ron Slay. He tied Allan Houston for second-most points scored by a Tennessee player in a road game.
Knecht had 24 points in the 80-70 win at Wisconsin, going 8-for-15 from the floor, 1-for-4 from the 3-point line and 7-for-9 at the foul line.
He had 28 at Michigan State in his unofficial debut, going 8-for-16 from the floor, 3-for-9 from the 3-point line and 9-for-11 at the foul line.
Knecht scored 17 in the season-opening win over Tennessee Tech on November 6, had 18 against Wofford on November 14 and combined for 46 points over three games in the Maui Invitational, against Syracuse (17), Purdue (16) and Kansas (13).
