How Dalton Knecht cut up Missouri and rallied No. 5 Tennessee to the 72-67 road win

Dalton Knecht’s Tennessee teammates told him at halftime. So did Tennessee coach Rod Clark. The Vols were trailing Missouri 29-26 Tuesday at Mizzou Arena and needed a spark after an ice-cold first half.

“It’s time for you to take over and be you,” Knecht said of the message he received. 

Knecht wasn’t himself in the first half. He had just two points and had missed all six of his shots from the field. Tennessee shot just 30.0 percent from the field and went 0-for-9 from the 3-point line before the break. 

Over a span of five minutes in the second half, Knecht changed everything. He made six shots from the field, including three 3-pointers, to rally Tennessee was from down seven points top up 13 on the way to the 72-67 win in Columbia. 

“They just fed me the ball in the right spots,” Knecht said of his teammates after the win. “And same with the coaches. They put me in the right spots, and I just felt comfortable and it just started going in for me and just the flow of the game and just started making my shots.”

Here’s how all the shots — and even the misses — went down as Knecht caught fire:

13:25, Missouri 44, Tennessee 41: Knecht was 0-for-8 from the field and Missouri’s Sean East II had just scored to put Mizzou up five. Knecht got the ball just past midcourt, dribbled to the left corner and stepped back for a pull-up 17-footer, falling back as the Missouri defender leaped toward him. The shot fell, finally getting Knecht on the board from somewhere other than the foul line, and Knecht pointed to Zakai Zeigler on his way back to the defensive end, saluting his point guard for the assist.

12:49, Missouri 46, Tennessee 44: Zeigler inbounded on the baseline to Jonas Aidoo after Missouri was whistled for a kicked ball. Aidoo drew two defenders near the 3-point line, leaving Knecht wide open for his first three of the game. Just like that, Knecht had made back-to-back buckets and Missouri’s lead, as much as seven points just minutes earlier, was down to two.

“If anyone can bring them back,” former Tennessee guard Dane Bradshaw said on the SEC Network broadcast, “it’s that guy right there, Dalton Knecht.”

12:11, Tennessee 46, Missouri 46: Knecht didn’t score to tie the game, but he did clear out his teammates, drive to the rim and put up a shot that Aidoo tipped in to get things even. 

“Good things happen when Dalton Knecht has the ball right now,” Bradshaw said. “He’s starting to get himself in a rhythm, despite the missed layup. He is Tennessee’s swagger and they’re starting to gain it here in Columbia.”

11:17, Missouri 49, Tennessee 48: Another Knecht miss ended in another Aidoo putback on the offensive glass. This time Kencht drove from the right wing and threw up an airball, but Aidoo gathered the ball with his left hand and in one motion put it back.

10:18, Tennessee 50, Missouri 49: Knecht brought the ball up the court and his teammates got out of the way. He drove from the wing, drew contact near the block and finished off the glass, falling to the ground as he gave the Vols the lead. He looked back at the official near the play as he got up, clearly frustrated after not getting a foul on either of the previous two possessions after being hit by Missouri defenders.

9:44, Tennessee 53, Missouri 49: Santiago Vescovi drove to the foul line and turned back to pass to Knecht at the top of the key. Missouri’s defense reacted immediately, but it was still too late. Knecht was a few feet behind the 3-point line and had enough daylight to let the long three fly. Knecht was rolling and Tennessee was taking over.

“He’s cold-blooded, Tom,” Bradshaw told play-by-play man Tom Hart.

9:05, Tennessee 55, Missouri 52: Knecht took a handoff on the wing from Aidoo, who screened the defender. He had enough of a crease to split two defenders on his way to the foul line, and raised up after a jump stop in the paint. He hit the midrange jumper with a hand in his face just in front of the SEC logo, getting Tennessee’s lead back to three after Missouri from the 3-point line on the previous possession. 

“So three-level scores on three straight makes,” Bradshaw said. “He gets to the rim, he shows you the three, he shows you the midrange. That’s why he’s a pro.”

8:29, Tennessee 58, Missouri 52: Tennessee’s defense made the play on the other end, forcing a five-second violation on a Missouri end bound. Knecht rewarded the effort on the other end. It was another handoff from Aidoo, but this time Knecht didn’t drive after clearing the screen. Instead, he pulled up from well beyond NBA 3-point distance, not all that far from where Rick Barnes was seated. The shot stretched Tennessee’s lead to six, the biggest of the game at the time.

“Get out of here,” Bradshaw shouted. “That’s a designed dribble handoff, not pull up from Coach Barnes.”

“When you’re pulling up from the state logo,” Hart said, “that’s deep.”

7:57, Tennessee 60, Missouri 52: Knecht went from scorer to facilitator to expand the league. He drove near midcourt, again picking up a screen from Aidoo, and spotted Tobe Awaka near the block, left wide open and waving his arms to get Knecht’s attention. Knecht saw Awaka, jumped and darted a two-hand overhead pass to Awaka’s chest. Awaka went up for a two-hand lay-in. 

Knecht finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal in his 36 minutes. After missing his first eight shots, Knecht made six of his next eight and finished 6-for-10 from the field and 3-for-4 from the 3-point line in the second half. 

“He’s SEC Player of the Year,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said during his postgame press conference. “At least he has my vote. That’s what he is.”