With Dalton Knecht coming to town, Eric Musselman’s squad will have its hands full in the Arkansas vs Tennessee matchup Wednesday night.
A transfer from Northern Colorado, Knecht is now a frontrunner for SEC Player of the Year, as he enters the 8 p.m. CT tipoff against the Razorbacks – which will be televised on ESPN2 – averaging 20.3 points this season. Incredibly, he’s been even better in SEC play.
The 6-foot-6 guard has eclipsed 20 points 11 times and each of those has been against a high-major opponent, as he’s done it in eight of 10 SEC games and against North Carolina, Wisconsin and Illinois. That includes five performances of 30-plus points, highlighted by a 39-point effort against Florida last month.
A little over half of his points in SEC play have come from beyond the arc, where he’s shooting 44.1% on 6.8 attempts per game, and at the charity stripe, where he’s shooting 73.0% on a whopping 7.4 attempts per game. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they have struggled defending the 3-point line and with fouling.
Musselman’s teams have traditionally done a good job of locking up opponents’ best players or at least slowing them down, as seen with Purdue’s Zach Edey and Duke’s Kyle Filipowski earlier this season. However, those were big men and there has been some slippage with guards. After all, Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV dropped 41 against Arkansas basketball in Fayetteville last month.
That was the second-most points scored by an opponent in Bud Walton Arena history, trailing only the 45 points Jodie Meeks put up for Kentucky in 2009 and just ahead of the 37 scored by Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves last year.
Follow along below for updates on how the Hogs handle Knecht and other updates, highlights and stats from the Arkansas vs Tennessee matchup…
(READ NEXT: Check out our in-depth preview of the Arkansas vs Tennessee matchup)
LIVE UPDATES – Arkansas vs Tennessee
15:30, 1H – Arkansas 13, Tennessee 12
The Hogs have set the nets on fire early on, making 4 of 5 shots. That includes a perfect 3 of 3 from deep, with Tramon Mark making two of them. However, the Volunteers have also been pretty good, shooting 5 of 8 with a couple of 3-pointers. Been a pretty fun pace so far.
10:43, 1H – Tennessee 22, Arkansas 20
Turnovers have hurt the Hogs some early, as they already have four that have led to 7 points by Tennessee. Dalton Knecht has 7 points for the Volunteers, which leads all scorers. However, other than the turnovers, Arkansas is playing pretty well on offense, still shooting 63.6% (7 of 11) with five assists. That includes 4 of 5 from deep.
7:16, 1H – Tennessee 30, Arkansas 22
A steal and fast break layup by Keyon Menifield snapped an 8-0 run by the Vols, who briefly took a 10-point lead after things were pretty close for the first 10 minutes. Tennessee has made 8 of its last 11 shots, staying hot from the field, while Arkansas has cooled off. The Hogs had missed five straight shots before the layup by Menifield.
3:57, 1H – Tennessee 35, Arkansas 30
Credit to Arkansas for not just rolling over after getting down by 10. It has battled back and remained competitive. Knecht is up to 11 points for Tennessee. All nine Razorbacks who’ve played so far have scored, led by Davis and Mark with 6 points apiece.
HALF – Tennessee 46, Arkansas 40
A terrible goal tending call on Jalen Graham took a bucket off the board for Arkansas late in the half, but a replay review during halftime added it back. The Hogs were on fire from deep, shooting 6 of 13 (46.2%), but they turned it over too much with nine turnovers. Take out the turnovers and this could be a much closer game. Knect has 12 points for the Volunteers, but Aidoo actually has 13.
15:53, 2H – Tennessee 56, Arkansas 44
The Volunteers have doubled their lead in the first few minutes of the second half. They’re shooting 4 of 8 compared to just 2 of 7 by the Hogs. Knecht is up to 15 points for Tennessee.
14:13, 2H – Tennessee 64, Arkansas 47
You blink and it’s suddenly a 17-point game. The Vols have knocked down a pair of 3s sandwiched around a couple of free throws on an 8-0 run, with the second of them prompting a timeout by Musselman.
11:45, 2H – Tennessee 71, Arkansas 49
Dalton Knecht is up to 19 points and the Vols would still be in the lead even if you took all of those away, as they’ve stretched the margin to 22.
7:53, 2H – Tennessee 77, Arkansas 53
Tennessee has held Arkansas scoreless for the last 2:54. The Hogs have missed five straight shots and are just 2 of their last 11. Knecht has 21 points for the Vols, who also have two other players in double figures – Aidoo (17) and Gainey (15).
2:55, 2H – Tennessee 86, Arkansas 58
Knecht’s day is done with 22 points. The only question now is what the final margin will be.
FINAL – Tennessee 92, Arkansas 63
A late three-point play by Joseph Pinion helped Arkansas avoid matching the worst loss is Bud Walton Arena history.
FINAL STATS
HALFTIME STATS
Starting Lineups
NOTE: This is the 14th different lineup used by the Razorbacks this season.
| Tennessee Basketball | Arkansas Basketball |
|---|---|
| #3 – Dalton Knecht – G | #3 – El Ellis – G |
| #5 – Zakai Zeigler – G | #4 – Davonte Davis – G |
| #25 – Santiago Vescovi – G | #12 – Tramon Mark – G |
| #30 – Josiah-Jordan James – G | #8 – Chandler Lawson – F |
| #0 – Jonas Aidoo – F | #11 – Jalen Graham – F |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Tennessee
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 14
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV: 8 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
ESPN BPI: Tennessee has an 86.6% chance to win, favored by 13.5 points
KenPom: Tennessee has an 85% chance to win, favored by a score of 80-69.
SEC Basketball Standings
| Team | SEC Record | Overall Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Carolina | 9-2 | 21-3 |
| 1. Alabama | 9-2 | 17-7 |
| 3. Auburn | 8-3 | 19-5 |
| 4. Tennessee | 7-3 | 17-6 |
| 5. Florida | 7-4 | 17-7 |
| 5. Kentucky | 7-4 | 17-7 |
| 7. Texas A&M | 6-5 | 15-9 |
| 8. Ole Miss | 5-6 | 18-6 |
| 8. Mississippi State | 5-6 | 16-8 |
| 10. Georgia | 4-7 | 14-10 |
| 10. LSU | 4-7 | 12-12 |
| 12. Arkansas basketball | 3-7 | 12-11 |
| 13. Vanderbilt | 2-9 | 7-17 |
| 14. Missouri | 0-11 | 8-16 |
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