The first leg of the race is almost done for No. 4 Tennessee.
The Volunteers (24-6, 14-3) clinched their first outright Southeastern Conference regular-season title since 2008 with a 66-59 win Wednesday night at No. 17 South Carolina. No matter what happens in Saturday’s regular-season finale in Knoxville against No. 15 Kentucky, the Vols are the top seed for the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week.
“We got the job done but at the same time, the job’s not done,” said star forward Dalton Knecht.
The next job for Knecht is earning the program’s first No. 1 regional seed for the NCAA Tournament.
Adding a second win over Kentucky to a season sweep of Alabama, along with recent wins over Auburn and South Carolina, might clinch a No. 1 seed regardless of what happens in Nashville.
Rick Barnes-coached teams have traditionally underachieved in the NCAA Tournament. Only his 2003 Texas team has reached a Final Four. But this Tennessee team eyes a long run, having shown the ability to win a game almost any way you want.
The Volunteers outran high-octane Kentucky last month at Rupp Arena in a 103-92 victory that really wasn’t that close. They were able to come back from a late deficit in January at Georgia and also showed they can win in a slow tempo game at South Carolina.
Knecht carried the load with 26 points, upping his average to 20.7 ppg. The guy who was a second team All-Big Sky Conference pick last season at Northern Colorado seems all but certain to win SEC Player of the Year.
“One thing about Dalton, he’s not afraid,” Barnes said. “The guys feed off him. He gives them confidence.”
That was exhibited at Kentucky.
In a game where Knecht hit just 5 of 14 shots from the field and finished with 16 points in 28 foul-plagued minutes, Josiah-Jordan James and Zakai Zeigler each stepped up with 26 points. Zeigler also dealt 13 assists against two turnovers in a masterclass of point guard play.
There is something at stake for the Wildcats (22-8, 12-5) too. They are playing for a double bye into the quarterfinals of the SEC tourney and to possibly improve their seeding for the NCAA tournament. And they would love to spoil Tennessee’s senior day.
Kentucky tuned up with a 93-77 home win Wednesday night over Vanderbilt, the 17th time this season it’s topped 90 points. Rob Dillingham scored 23 points and Antonio Reeves celebrated his senior night with 20 as the Wildcats pulled away in the second half.
Reeves has improved his NBA stock greatly in his second season at Kentucky, upping his scoring average from 14.3 to 20 ppg and making nearly 51 percent of his field goal attempts.
“When he misses, he is stunned,” said Wildcats coach John Calipari of Reeves. “Because he’s shooting 5,000 shots every two weeks or more. The guy is putting up shots. He gained weight so he’s a different player. He also has lived in the gym.”
–Field Level Media