UGA MBB
Ken Pom
8 Tennessee
65 South Carolina
72 UGA
Dasher UGA Sports.com: No moral victories
“I know people will say that’s great, but we’re trying to win those,” said White, whose Bulldogs saw their 10-game win streak come to an end. “Let’s be positive about the positive things that we did, but let’s also clean up the things that we need to work on.”
“They fought for every inch on the court defensively, we just struggled to get it clean when it most mattered,” White said. “When we got down 5-6, we actually had open looks that just didn’t go. We could have made it more interesting, but we could not also get stops, to slow Knecht and keep them off the foul line.”
It did not help that center Russel Tchewa had arguably his worst game of the year, going 0-for-5 from the field with one free throw and just three rebounds.
“He knows it. He had one on the road where he goes 18 and 11, and (Jonas) Aido was really good,” White said. “Who knows what our front court will do on Tuesday, but with Russ, I know he will be back to work (Sunday). He’ll be watching film and trying to figure out a way to play better on Tuesday.”
https://uga.rivals.com/news/no-moral-victories-18
Gadogs.com: Georgia Falls to No. 5 Tennessee, 85-79
Head Coach Mike White: "Incredible environment. I'm really appreciative to all of our fans that showed up, how they showed up, as active as they were. It's the loudest that I've ever heard Stegeman, ever, and it's just unfortunate that we weren't able to capitalize and reward our fans for helping us, being as a big of a factor as they were - in a game where we had chances down the stretch."
https://georgiadogs.com/news/2024/1/13/mens-basketball-georgia-falls-to-no-5-tennessee-85-79
ABH: Missed opportunity: Georgia basketball fades late as No. 5 Tennessee snaps win streak
"We believe in ourselves that we can be in those big-time games. We don't want to dwell on it saying, dang, we should have won. We just want to work on it and fix everything we could have done to win the game."
"We've handled success the right way over these past 10," White said. "Let's see how we handle some adversity. It's been a while. But also let's never be thrilled about a loss. We played them close, right? We played them close, we had a chance. The people that will say that's a great effort, we're trying to win those."
Sean Paul: Tennessee survives! That’s gonna feel like a huge missed opportunity for Georgia, who led by 11 with six minutes remaining. Just couldn’t score late and got a little too undisciplined on defense. Tennessee stayed composed and locked in defensively. That was a major factor in the win.
Dalton Knecht has 34 points. Best bucket-getter Tennessee has had in some time. Makes some incredibly timely shots, too. Single-handedly kept Tennessee’s offense in the game today.
Georgia has ALL the energy right now. You can’t even hear a whistle in this place on TV. Can only imagine what it’s like live. Mike White certainly changed the program from the previous coaching situation. Not a lot of winning happened there. If Silas Demary/Blue Cain hit shots this team gets very interesting. Need a few more go-to guys — and the talented freshman duo fit the bill.
UT Daily Beacon: How Dalton Knecht compares to Kevin Durant in Rick Barnes' eyes
https://www.utdailybeacon.com/sport...cle_20c5c8b6-b252-11ee-b882-f3ec52928558.html
CBS Sports: Dalton Knecht's performance in Tennessee's comeback win at Georgia shows why Volunteers are a threat
“Knecht's offensive explosion underscored why this Tennessee team may be different from some of its predecessors under Rick Barnes. In his ninth season, Barnes has built the Volunteers into a steady winner on the back of perennially great defenses. But those teams have too often fizzled in March due to a lack of offensive firepower.
That's a problem Knecht is fixing for Tennessee (12-4, 2-1 SEC). The 6-foot-6 wing scored 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting in a loss at Mississippi State on Wednesday before going 12 of 20 at Georgia -- a sterling performance that included shooting 5 for 8 from 3-point range.
He is the focal point of every opposing scouting report after going for 24 points in a win at Wisconsinand 37 in a loss at North Carolina in nonconference play, but is managing to produce anyway. Knecht is the first player in Barnes' Tennessee tenure to notch multiple 35+ point performances in a season.
The only times he's failed to reach double figures through 16 games at Tennessee came in relatively easy victories against Ole Miss, Georgia Southern, Tarleton State and NC State, when the Vols didn't need his best.
When the Vols have needed Knecht's best in hostile environments against quality opponents, he's typically delivered. That bodes well for a couple of months from now, when Tennessee will be trying to make it past the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.
Knecht's propensity for showing up big in tough spots is also the most surprising part of his adaptation to Tennessee. In two seasons at Northern Colorado, he played three games against high-major opposition. In those three games, he made 8 of 24 shots and totaled 23 points, offering no signs that what he is presently doing at Tennessee was a possibility. Thus, when the Vols landed a commitment from Knecht, it failed to register as one of the most significant movements in the 2023 transfer cycle. He came in at No. 47 in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, and my assessment still seems fair in retrospect:
"His Northern Colorado team was just 12-20 in the 2022-23 season, and there will be questions over how his sharpshooting prowess translates to a better team and league. But he's clearly worth a shot for Tennessee after the Volunteers made just 32.9% of their 3-point attempts last season."
How Rick Barnes is adjusting
Knecht has made it clear one of the reasons he chose Tennessee is because he knew Barnes would help him improve as a defender, which will be a critical step as he pursues an NBA career. Considering that he ranks seventh on his team in defensive rating at evanmiya.com, that element of his game is still a work in progress.
What Knecht is providing Tennessee offensively is far more valuable than whatever hit the Volunteers are taking defensively with him on the floor. It's to Barnes' credit that he recognizes this.
So often over the years, Barnes' first instinct upon seeing a player make a defensive mistake — or a mistake of any sort — has been to immediately remove that player from the game. It was his approach with Justin Powell two seasons ago, and the results were dispiriting.
After an encouraging freshman season at Auburn that was cut short by injury, Powell transferred to Tennessee with a similar frame and game as Knecht. He could have been useful when the Vols made just 2 of 18 attempts from 3-point range in a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan in 2022.
By then, he was no longer part of the rotation after seeing his role consistently diminished throughout the season as Barnes used a quick hook on Powell after turnovers or defensive lapses. Powell promptly transferred to Washington State and resumed the prolific 3-point shooting ability he'd shown at Auburn by becoming one of the top perimeter marksmen in the Pac-12.
Powell profiled as exactly the type of player Tennessee needed to improve offensively, but the failed partnership only bolstered Barnes' reputation as an offensive dinosaur. The Volunteers' last three teams ranked between No. 232 and No. 313 in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.
While they stifled opponents defensively, the Vols were simply helpless offensively on the rare and costly nights when the other team managed to get hot.
Georgia got hot on Saturday, and this time Tennessee was equipped to respond. The Volunteers rank 85th in adjusted tempo this season, which is their highest such rating in Barnes' tenure. When you're trailing, you want the game to have more possessions because it increases your chances of scoring enough to reduce the deficit.
Barnes has also, mercifully, gotten away from the habit of playing two traditional big men together, which has opened driving lanes for Zakai Zeigler.
Most importantly, though, he is letting Knecht shine.
The race for SEC Player of the Year is wide open. So is the race to be SEC champion.
Saturday's final few minutes showed why Knecht and the Vols are firmly in the running for both.”
https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...at-georgia-shows-why-volunteers-are-a-threat/
Portal Possibilities
Ezra Ausar had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and shot 9-12 from the field.
ECU 64 | SMU 75 Final
2024 Recruiting
2025 Recruiting
Gwinnett Daily Post: Grayson Boys Lose Heartbreaker in Hoophall Classic
Jacob Wilkins wasn’t yet born when his father, Dominique, was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Grayson High School junior made a winning play near the end of the game. As Laz Mason cruised to the basket, Wilkins beelined to the rim in his tracks. The Grayson senior missed the layup, but Wilkins, a junior, hauled in a rebound and got fouled on a putback attempt.
He sank both free-throws with 10.1 seconds left, but Silsby hit the winning 3-pointer just before the clock struck 10 p.m.
"It was crazy," Wilkins said. "We've just got to pay more attention to what coach was saying so next time stuff like that doesn't happen."
Earlier in the day, Wilkins caught a glimpse of his father's Hall of Fame plaque and sent him a photo of it.
"It's cool because not everybody gets the opportunity to have a dad who's done that in the basketball community," he said. "It was just nice seeing it and made me feel really good about what he's done."
Wilkins, a 6-foot-7 forward ranked No. 25 in his class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, scored 6 points and blocked three shots. Senior guard Gicarri Harris scored 14 points, classmate Anthony Alston posted 13 points and junior forward Amir Taylor added 10 points for Grayson (15-2), the No. 23 in the SCNext Top 25 boys high school basketball rankings.
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/s...cle_4fbaea5c-b28e-11ee-815a-2f69a16f7e5e.html
UGA WBB
Gadogs.com: Georgia Travels to Florida to Take on Gators
https://georgiadogs.com/news/2024/1...-georgia-travels-to-florida-to-take-on-gators
Ken Pom
8 Tennessee
65 South Carolina
72 UGA
Dasher UGA Sports.com: No moral victories
“I know people will say that’s great, but we’re trying to win those,” said White, whose Bulldogs saw their 10-game win streak come to an end. “Let’s be positive about the positive things that we did, but let’s also clean up the things that we need to work on.”
“They fought for every inch on the court defensively, we just struggled to get it clean when it most mattered,” White said. “When we got down 5-6, we actually had open looks that just didn’t go. We could have made it more interesting, but we could not also get stops, to slow Knecht and keep them off the foul line.”
It did not help that center Russel Tchewa had arguably his worst game of the year, going 0-for-5 from the field with one free throw and just three rebounds.
“He knows it. He had one on the road where he goes 18 and 11, and (Jonas) Aido was really good,” White said. “Who knows what our front court will do on Tuesday, but with Russ, I know he will be back to work (Sunday). He’ll be watching film and trying to figure out a way to play better on Tuesday.”
https://uga.rivals.com/news/no-moral-victories-18
Gadogs.com: Georgia Falls to No. 5 Tennessee, 85-79
Head Coach Mike White: "Incredible environment. I'm really appreciative to all of our fans that showed up, how they showed up, as active as they were. It's the loudest that I've ever heard Stegeman, ever, and it's just unfortunate that we weren't able to capitalize and reward our fans for helping us, being as a big of a factor as they were - in a game where we had chances down the stretch."
https://georgiadogs.com/news/2024/1/13/mens-basketball-georgia-falls-to-no-5-tennessee-85-79
ABH: Missed opportunity: Georgia basketball fades late as No. 5 Tennessee snaps win streak
"We believe in ourselves that we can be in those big-time games. We don't want to dwell on it saying, dang, we should have won. We just want to work on it and fix everything we could have done to win the game."
"We've handled success the right way over these past 10," White said. "Let's see how we handle some adversity. It's been a while. But also let's never be thrilled about a loss. We played them close, right? We played them close, we had a chance. The people that will say that's a great effort, we're trying to win those."
Missed opportunity: Georgia basketball fades late as No. 5 Tennessee snaps win streak
Georgia basketball was in position to snag its first win over a top 5 team in 20 years. Tennessee kept that from happening by closing strong.
www.onlineathens.com
Sean Paul: Tennessee survives! That’s gonna feel like a huge missed opportunity for Georgia, who led by 11 with six minutes remaining. Just couldn’t score late and got a little too undisciplined on defense. Tennessee stayed composed and locked in defensively. That was a major factor in the win.
Dalton Knecht has 34 points. Best bucket-getter Tennessee has had in some time. Makes some incredibly timely shots, too. Single-handedly kept Tennessee’s offense in the game today.
Georgia has ALL the energy right now. You can’t even hear a whistle in this place on TV. Can only imagine what it’s like live. Mike White certainly changed the program from the previous coaching situation. Not a lot of winning happened there. If Silas Demary/Blue Cain hit shots this team gets very interesting. Need a few more go-to guys — and the talented freshman duo fit the bill.
UT Daily Beacon: How Dalton Knecht compares to Kevin Durant in Rick Barnes' eyes
https://www.utdailybeacon.com/sport...cle_20c5c8b6-b252-11ee-b882-f3ec52928558.html
CBS Sports: Dalton Knecht's performance in Tennessee's comeback win at Georgia shows why Volunteers are a threat
“Knecht's offensive explosion underscored why this Tennessee team may be different from some of its predecessors under Rick Barnes. In his ninth season, Barnes has built the Volunteers into a steady winner on the back of perennially great defenses. But those teams have too often fizzled in March due to a lack of offensive firepower.
That's a problem Knecht is fixing for Tennessee (12-4, 2-1 SEC). The 6-foot-6 wing scored 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting in a loss at Mississippi State on Wednesday before going 12 of 20 at Georgia -- a sterling performance that included shooting 5 for 8 from 3-point range.
He is the focal point of every opposing scouting report after going for 24 points in a win at Wisconsinand 37 in a loss at North Carolina in nonconference play, but is managing to produce anyway. Knecht is the first player in Barnes' Tennessee tenure to notch multiple 35+ point performances in a season.
The only times he's failed to reach double figures through 16 games at Tennessee came in relatively easy victories against Ole Miss, Georgia Southern, Tarleton State and NC State, when the Vols didn't need his best.
When the Vols have needed Knecht's best in hostile environments against quality opponents, he's typically delivered. That bodes well for a couple of months from now, when Tennessee will be trying to make it past the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history.
Knecht's propensity for showing up big in tough spots is also the most surprising part of his adaptation to Tennessee. In two seasons at Northern Colorado, he played three games against high-major opposition. In those three games, he made 8 of 24 shots and totaled 23 points, offering no signs that what he is presently doing at Tennessee was a possibility. Thus, when the Vols landed a commitment from Knecht, it failed to register as one of the most significant movements in the 2023 transfer cycle. He came in at No. 47 in the CBS Sports Transfer Rankings, and my assessment still seems fair in retrospect:
"His Northern Colorado team was just 12-20 in the 2022-23 season, and there will be questions over how his sharpshooting prowess translates to a better team and league. But he's clearly worth a shot for Tennessee after the Volunteers made just 32.9% of their 3-point attempts last season."
How Rick Barnes is adjusting
Knecht has made it clear one of the reasons he chose Tennessee is because he knew Barnes would help him improve as a defender, which will be a critical step as he pursues an NBA career. Considering that he ranks seventh on his team in defensive rating at evanmiya.com, that element of his game is still a work in progress.
What Knecht is providing Tennessee offensively is far more valuable than whatever hit the Volunteers are taking defensively with him on the floor. It's to Barnes' credit that he recognizes this.
So often over the years, Barnes' first instinct upon seeing a player make a defensive mistake — or a mistake of any sort — has been to immediately remove that player from the game. It was his approach with Justin Powell two seasons ago, and the results were dispiriting.
After an encouraging freshman season at Auburn that was cut short by injury, Powell transferred to Tennessee with a similar frame and game as Knecht. He could have been useful when the Vols made just 2 of 18 attempts from 3-point range in a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan in 2022.
By then, he was no longer part of the rotation after seeing his role consistently diminished throughout the season as Barnes used a quick hook on Powell after turnovers or defensive lapses. Powell promptly transferred to Washington State and resumed the prolific 3-point shooting ability he'd shown at Auburn by becoming one of the top perimeter marksmen in the Pac-12.
Powell profiled as exactly the type of player Tennessee needed to improve offensively, but the failed partnership only bolstered Barnes' reputation as an offensive dinosaur. The Volunteers' last three teams ranked between No. 232 and No. 313 in adjusted tempo, per KenPom.
While they stifled opponents defensively, the Vols were simply helpless offensively on the rare and costly nights when the other team managed to get hot.
Georgia got hot on Saturday, and this time Tennessee was equipped to respond. The Volunteers rank 85th in adjusted tempo this season, which is their highest such rating in Barnes' tenure. When you're trailing, you want the game to have more possessions because it increases your chances of scoring enough to reduce the deficit.
Barnes has also, mercifully, gotten away from the habit of playing two traditional big men together, which has opened driving lanes for Zakai Zeigler.
Most importantly, though, he is letting Knecht shine.
The race for SEC Player of the Year is wide open. So is the race to be SEC champion.
Saturday's final few minutes showed why Knecht and the Vols are firmly in the running for both.”
https://www.cbssports.com/college-b...at-georgia-shows-why-volunteers-are-a-threat/
Portal Possibilities
Ezra Ausar had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and shot 9-12 from the field.
ECU 64 | SMU 75 Final
2024 Recruiting
2025 Recruiting
Gwinnett Daily Post: Grayson Boys Lose Heartbreaker in Hoophall Classic
Jacob Wilkins wasn’t yet born when his father, Dominique, was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Grayson High School junior made a winning play near the end of the game. As Laz Mason cruised to the basket, Wilkins beelined to the rim in his tracks. The Grayson senior missed the layup, but Wilkins, a junior, hauled in a rebound and got fouled on a putback attempt.
He sank both free-throws with 10.1 seconds left, but Silsby hit the winning 3-pointer just before the clock struck 10 p.m.
"It was crazy," Wilkins said. "We've just got to pay more attention to what coach was saying so next time stuff like that doesn't happen."
Earlier in the day, Wilkins caught a glimpse of his father's Hall of Fame plaque and sent him a photo of it.
"It's cool because not everybody gets the opportunity to have a dad who's done that in the basketball community," he said. "It was just nice seeing it and made me feel really good about what he's done."
Wilkins, a 6-foot-7 forward ranked No. 25 in his class according to 247Sports Composite rankings, scored 6 points and blocked three shots. Senior guard Gicarri Harris scored 14 points, classmate Anthony Alston posted 13 points and junior forward Amir Taylor added 10 points for Grayson (15-2), the No. 23 in the SCNext Top 25 boys high school basketball rankings.
https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/s...cle_4fbaea5c-b28e-11ee-815a-2f69a16f7e5e.html
UGA WBB
Gadogs.com: Georgia Travels to Florida to Take on Gators
https://georgiadogs.com/news/2024/1...-georgia-travels-to-florida-to-take-on-gators
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