What Dalton Knecht said after scoring 32 points in No. 5 Tennessee's 75-62 win at Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE — Dalton Knecht on Saturday night became just the second SEC player over the last 19 seasons to score 25 or more points in five straight games, finishing with 32 in No. 5 Tennessee’s 75-62 win over Vanderbilt at Memorial Gymnasium. 

He scored 21 in the second half, helping the Vols (15-4, 5-1 SEC) come back from down as much as nine points. He finished 13-for-21 from the field, went 3-for-7 at the 3-point line and added six rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes.

Knecht now has 160 points over his last five games, averaging 32.0 points per game, and is just the second SEC player in the last 19 seasons to do so. He has scored 157 points in Tennessee’s five true road games this season. He had 24 at Wisconsin and 37 at North Carolina in November, then 28 at Mississippi State and 36 at Georgia earlier this month. 

He’s the fourth SEC player with four 30-point games in a season — 37 at North Carolina, 36 vs. Georgia, 39 vs. Florida and 32 at Vanderbilt — in the last 14 seasons and the first Tennessee player to do so since Chris Lofton had six during the 2006-07 season. 

Here’s everything Knecht said during his postgame press conference, taking questions from both reporters and a few of his teammates:

What allowed him to get going in the second half

“Just finding my groove and I just got hot. And my teammates kept feeding me the ball. So shoutout to my teammates and the coaching staff for just putting me in the right spots.” 

Being just the second SEC player in the last 19 season with five straight games with 25 or more points, if it’s sunk in what he’s doing right now

“Yeah, it’s crazy. I mean it’s kind of a blessing just to be put in that type of category. So it’s a big shoutout to my teammates because they let me do what I can do and they’ve been doing that since I got here. And they make it super easy for me, playing with great teammates and my coaching staff. We all watch film and stuff, so I mean it’s a blessing.”

Opposing players sometimes having trouble shooting at Vanderbilt’s Memorial Gymnasium, if he needed a half to warmup and adjust

“Just get a little bit hotter in the second half, but also I had a lot of missed free throws. So I mean, I can’t really say nothing too much.”

What changed for him in the second half

“We just locked in. I mean, I think that last four-minute stretch (in the first half), with the technical Coach (Barnes) got, we were all kind of ready just to go out and hoop. They started talking a little bit and all of us were ready just to go out and play.”

What this ride has been like for him so far at Tennessee

“It’s crazy. I mean, I love it here. I wish I had a couple more years to play with my teammates. And it’s just a blessing. I try to take it all in as much as I can.” 

How important his Tennessee teammates were, like Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler

“Josiah (Jordan James) and Santi and Shack (Jahmai Mashack), they all have been there, done that. So I mean, they kind of kept it composed for us and just told us it’s going to be good and we just kept listening to them because they’re great leaders.”

If his Tennessee teammates tend to play a little bit looser once he starts scoring

“Yeah, definitely. I feel like no matter what, we’’ll play loose no matter what, if I’m scoring or not. All of us, we got tons of scorers. We got ‘Z’, Santi, Josiah. We got Jonas (Aidoo), we got JG (Jordan Gainey), Shack off the bench. I mean, we got a great core so we’re all ready just to go out and compete.” 

Jordan Gainey hitting some big 3-pointers for Tennessee

“Yeah, JG had a couple big threes. He’s a great shooter. That’s all I can say. He’s a great shooter and we all have faith in him to shoot the ball.”

How rare it is to have so many Tennessee fans at a road game  

“I mean, it’s fun. I dreamed it as a kid playing in these type of environments. So it’s really fun just to go out there and compete and play in front of a crowd like this.” 

If he expected that many Tennessee fans to be in the building

“No, I mean, they told me it was going to kind of be like this. But I didn’t expect it to be like that. So it’s really cool.”

Tennessee’s upcoming week with a home game against South Carolina and a road game at No. 6 Kentucky

“Just stay focused and watch film and get ready to compete against South Carolina. And then obviously get ready for Kentucky, which will be a fun one, not to overlook, South Carolina. So we’re going to get ready.” 

If his ability to score at this level has been a surprise to him

“I mean, just a little bit. But also it’s just a lot of hard work and like I said, my teammates have made it super easy for me to transition to this level and all also the coaching staff. And it’s a big, shoutout to them for helping me get ready for this.”

Freddie Dilione V: “What drills as a child did you do to become so great?

Dalton Knecht: “Just shooting, working out, you know.

JP Estrella: “How’s it feel to nickname the White Maba?

Dalton Knecht: “I think that’s what y’all call me. I don’t think no one calls me that.”

Josiah-Jordan James: “Y’all, (he said) y’all. He’s already southern.

Jonas Aidoo: “Are you going to keep flirting around 40 points? When are you going to get it? 40 points? 

Dalton Knecht: “Next question … sorry, Jonas.”