Dalton Knecht slammed the ball into the court with two hands Tuesday.
Knecht walked to the Tennessee basketball bench with 38 seconds left to a standing ovation from the crowd that braved winter weather. He leaned his head back and smiled − the emotion surely stemming both from another terrific performance and the almost-had-it of a potential 40-point outing.
Knecht brought his road show back home to Knoxville on Tuesday, where he scorched the Gators in his best performance yet at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. He scored 39 in the 85-66 victory by the Vols, his second straight 30-point game and his third this season.
Knecht added eight rebounds and was 13-for-23 shooting for the No. 7 Vols (13-4, 3-1 SEC). Jonas Aidoo paired perfectly with Knecht, adding 19 points and nine rebounds against Florida (11-6, 1-3).
Dalton Knecht is on a heater for Tennessee basketball
Knecht’s 22 first-half points gave him 84 in the past four halves dating back to halftime at Mississippi State. He averaged 42 points per game in that stretch thanks to his 36-point game at Georgia and his 26-point second half at MSU.
The senior transfer from Northern Colorado scored 20 points in the final 7:05 of the first half. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 1:07. He scored 14 straight points in 3:37 as UT took a 17-point lead.
He is the first UT player with back-to-back 35 point games since Allan Houston in 1990, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
He had his first 30-point game with the Vols at UNC on Nov. 29 when he had 37 points.
Jonas Aidoo is a great sidekick for Tennessee basketball guards
Aidoo fell a rebound shy of producing his third double-double in four SEC games and his second in a row. He got off to a strong start, scoring the first four points of the game. He scored the first six after halftime.
Aidoo had 10 points and 15 rebounds at Georgia, rebounding from a rough game at MSU. He had 24 points and 10 rebounds in the SEC opener against Ole Miss. He has produced alongside either Knecht or Zakai Zeigler well, giving UT a nice tandem of a big man and guard.
Florida couldn’t crack the Tennessee defense
Florida had a second-half spurt to cut UT’s 20-point lead to 10, but that was the lone patch of success for the Gators.
RANKINGS: College basketball rankings: Where Tennessee is ranked after Georgia win
UT stifled the Gators, who made more free throws than field goals. The Vols held Florida to 29.9% shooting and 22.7% shooting on 3-pointers.
Up next
Tennessee hosts Alabama on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it