It may be cold outside, but Dalton Knecht is scorching inside.
Tennessee’s graduate transfer guard from Northern Colorado has scored 103 points the past three games against Mississippi State, Georgia and Florida heading into Saturday’s showdown (2 p.m. on ESPN2) against Alabama inside a sold-out Food City Center. Knecht’s point production in this stretch for the No. 6 Volunteers has been enhanced by a sensational 13-of-23 shooting clip (56.5%) from 3-point range.
“He’s been amazing,” Vols junior forward Jonas Aidoo said Friday in a news conference. “I don’t know how to put it into words. Y’all have seen it. He’s like Larry Bird, for real.”
Against the Crimson Tide, Knecht will face someone who has shot the ball even better this season.
“They’re the No. 1 offense in the country, and Mark Sears is playing great basketball,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. They’ve got a lot of really good shooters around him, and the thing that has impressed me is how much better they’ve become on defense. They’re very efficient with that, too.”