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    Dalton Knecht, No. 2 Tennessee Thrill March Madness Fans with Rout vs. Saint Peter's

    Andrew PetersMarch 22, 2024

    CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 21: Dalton Knecht #3 of the Tennessee Volunteers reacts in the first half during the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Saint Peter's Peacocks at Spectrum Center on March 21, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
    Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images

    Tennessee basketball came into Thursday's NCAA tournament matchup against St. Peter's eager to avoid an upset against a team that made a miraculous Elite Eight run in 2022.

    The No. 2 Vols had no trouble against the No. 15 Peacocks, picking up a dominant 83-49 win behind a big night from star guard Dalton Knecht. Tennessee will now take on No. 7 Texas in the Round of 32 on Saturday.

    The All-American and SEC Player of the Year Knecht was locked in during his first NCAA tournament. The Northern Colorado transfer had 23 points and eight rebounds on an efficient 8-of-15 from the floor.

    Vols' big man Jonas Aidoo added 15 points and guard Zakai Zeigler had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.

    Knecht, who had seven games where he scored 30+ points this season, is looking to lead the Vols to their first Final Four appearance in program history this season. A strong start to the tournament has fans convinced he can do it.

    Tennessee Basketball @Vol_Hoops

    we like the easy ones<br> <a href="https://t.co/YJqlMxTado">pic.twitter.com/YJqlMxTado</a>

    Dalton Knecht, No. 2 Tennessee Thrill March Madness Fans with Rout vs. Saint Peter's
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    nermin @ovonermin

    DALTON YOUCANTGUARDME KNECHT 🍊

    Jordan Moore @jordanmoore_21

    Dalton Knecht has now scored the most points in a single season by a Tennessee player since 1993-1994. (699). <a href="https://t.co/11RUnShecJ">https://t.co/11RUnShecJ</a>

    Reece Van Haaften @Reece_VH

    Dalton Knecht running down the court whispers "They can't guard me." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Vols?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Vols</a>

    John Dunn @JxhnDunn

    Dalton Knecht is pretty good at basketballing. 🤷‍♂️

    ¿ @M0HM0H

    I love Dalton Knecht <a href="https://t.co/C2iwocfkLM">pic.twitter.com/C2iwocfkLM</a>

    Landon Raby @lambo_raby10

    Knecht is just unfair

    World Of College Basketball @WorldofCollege1

    Tennessee is beating the breaks off of St Peter's with 8 minutes left to play. Dalton Knecht has 19.

    Skinny Hardaway @Skinny_Unscrptd

    First time watching UT play this season, Dalton Knecht is the goods.

    JJ @JoelJ612

    knecht a lottery pick

    Diamond Vols @DiamondVols

    Could you imagine a Jack Golkhe/Dalton Knecht final four matchup. 🤤

    Roen Elbert @RoenElbert

    Loving what I'm seeing from Tennessee. They're in my final four for a reason

    Beating a No. 15 seed is to be expected, but the Vols' dominance has fans ready for what could be a deep run. Tennessee still has a long road ahead, but with an elite scorer like Knecht and a solid group of veterans, it seems this could be the team that finally gets the Vols to the Final Four.