The Purdue-Tennessee Elite Eight showdown was like fighting fire with fire.
All-Americans Zach Edey and Dalton Knecht were the two headliners going into the matchup and the stars lived up to their billing.
Edey was an unstoppable force. The soon-to-be two-time National Player of the Year played all but 33 seconds in the contest, dominating with a career-high 40 points and 16 rebounds. He proved to be too much for the Volunteers to handle, but Knecht gave his best effort in a slugfest with the 7-4 monster.
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The prolific scoring senior single-handedly kept Tennessee alive throughout the game. He erupted for 37 points, scoring more than half his team’s total. There were several moments where it looked like Edey wore down the Volunteers’ frontcourt and the Boilermakers were going to cruise to a win. Every time Purdue started to pull away, Knecht would go on a run to bring Tennessee right back in it.
All six of his 3-pointers felt like they impacted the game’s momentum. All 31 of his shot attempts were necessary to keep the Volunteers’ Final Four hopes alive. He finished 6-for-12 from three, 14-for-31 from the floor with three rebounds and one assist.
Even if Tennessee didn’t get the result it was looking for, Knecht certainly helped his draft stock. The SEC Player of the Year may have solidified his spot as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
MORE: Dalton Knecht NBA scouting report
Dalton Knecht showed NBA lottery pick potential in loss to Purdue
Edey’s career-best performance will capture headlines in a win, but Knecht deserves some love for keeping Tennessee in the game.
The Volunteers were waiting for this type of explosion from Knecht. He averaged 21.2 points per game this season but only cracked the 20-point threshold once in three NCAA Tournament games before the Elite Eight.
The senior transfer wasted no time to set the tone, burying his first four 3-point attempts. He showed how lethal and diverse he is as a shooter, knocking down tough looks off of screens and off the dribble.
Dalton Knecht has TAKEN OVER in the first half 🔥#MarchMadness @Vol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/9DG9WdfTcR
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2024
MORE: Inside Zach Edey’s career-best performance in Elite Eight
Knecht seemed unfazed by Purdue’s air-tight defense. His high and quick release looked smooth, ignoring the Boilermakers’ aggressive closeouts. At times, it was like he never even saw the defenders charging at him.
KNECHT AGAIN. WE ARE TIED. 🔥#MarchMadness @Vol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/noDI1oiGM6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 31, 2024
“I can assure you, they’re not going to affect him on his threes,” Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes said of Knecht’s tough shot-making skills. “I haven’t seen anybody, really all year, affect him too much when he’s out there.
“…He’s not afraid of the moment. That’s one thing I learned after our very first [exhibition] game against Michigan State. He surprised us all. What we realized then is he wasn’t afraid of the moment.”
Knecht was a career 38.1 percent 3-point shooter on a high volume of over 500 attempts in three seasons at the Division-I level. This past year was his most efficient, converting 39.8 percent of his 3s on 234 attempts.
He can score from all three levels of the floor, but his pure shooting stroke is guaranteed to translate to the next level.
Knecht has an NBA body at 6-6, 204 lbs. Being a 22-year-old senior would typically work against a prospect, but he’s as NBA-ready as any player in this class and that should find him a suitor somewhere in the early first round.
Just imagine Knecht spacing the floor for Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City.
It felt bold to place Knecht eighth overall in my 2024 NBA Mock Draft before the NCAA Tournament. After sharpshooting performances like this one against Purdue, it feels safe to say he’ll draw interest in the lottery.
