SEC Watch: Knecht on fire before Tennessee's trip to Rupp
Each Thursday, we recap the midweek results in SEC Basketball and what they mean for the race for the regular season championship and conference tournament seeding. This Thursday, it’s harder to look around the league when Kentucky should be looking in the mirror after last night’s loss to Florida in Rupp Arena. Still, the biweekly SEC Watch continues as we keep a watchful eye on the competition outside the Big Blue Nation. Today’s top story: Knecht Mania continues in Knoxville, even in defeat.
Dalton Knecht chased down Mark Sears in the scoring race
Fifth-ranked Tennessee suffered a bad home loss to South Carolina on Tuesday, but not because the Gamecocks found a cure for Dalton Knecht. He had 31 points, marking four 30-point performances in Tennessee’s last five games. Knecht averages 28.4 per game against SEC competition. That’s just silly.
With the 31 against South Carolina, Knecht moved into a tie with Alabama’s Mark Sears in the SEC’s scoring crown race. Sears had been the top scorer all season until Knecht hit a new level in league play. Kentucky’s Antonio Reeves isn’t far behind with fewer than a full point between them.
| NAME | SCHOOL | PPG |
| 1. Dalton Knecht, G | Tennessee | 20.1 |
| 2. Mark Sears, G | Alabama | 20.1 |
| 3. Wade Taylor IV, G | Texas A&M | 20.0 |
| 4. Antonio Reeves, G | Kentucky | 19.5 |
| 5. Tramon Mark, G | Arkansas | 17.7 |
Lamont Paris got two signature wins in one week
How about South Carolina? Last Tuesday, the Gamecocks beat Kentucky on the biggest game on the home schedule, taking down the Cats for a second straight year and the first time in Columbia under new head coach Lamont Paris. A week later, Paris took South Carolina into Knoxville and beat the fifth-ranked Tennessee Vols on their own floor. The former Wisconsin assistant (yes, he was on that Wisconsin staff) is a favorite to win SEC Coach of the Year right now for two top-10 wins a week apart. He has South Carolina in SEC contention after a four-SEC win debut season in 2022-23.
A must-win Saturday in Lexington
You don’t need me to waste your time explaining the magnitude of Saturday’s game between the Cats and Vols in Rupp Arena. The bitter rivals are in similar situations, losing at home to unranked teams in the lead-up. Now, one team will show some fight and desperation in the response, while the other will go into next week on a two-game losing streak as the SEC schedule rounds the turn at the halfway point. If Kentucky were to lose, it would likely be the death blow to SEC contention, and 2024 would be the fourth straight season without winning the league. Kentucky hasn’t gone four years without winning the SEC since the last two years of Tubby and the only two years of Billy. Before that, another instance does not exist. So, beating the Vols is critical to staying in the hunt and avoiding another embarrassing statistic when the trophy is presented later this season. Plus, beating Tennessee is essential for the fan base’s sanity.
Florida wants in
Before the Gators’ successful trip to Lexington, Florida was seven spots outside ESPN’s projected NCAA Tournament field, the third team in the Next Four Out on the bubble. Once Joe Lunardi emerges from the lab with an update, Florida should find itself in the field with its shiny new Quad 1 win and 5-3 SEC record. Todd Golden may also have the Gators ranked for the first time in three years next Monday. It didn’t have to be this way.
Ole Miss still unbeaten in Oxford
Ole Miss has some swagger, winning three in a row since unsuccessful road trips to LSU and Auburn. On Tuesday, the Rebels beat their in-state rival, Mississippi State, in front of a record crowd in Oxford. Free throws decided the 86-82 game in the end.
With the win, Ole Miss tied Kentucky and Florida for fifth place in the SEC standings. The Rebels have been perfect at home this year, winning all 13 games in Chris Beard‘s debut season at the Pavilion. Kentucky plays Ole Miss in two weeks, but that game will be in Lexington, not Oxford, thankfully. Even the managers there are passionate.
Vanderbilt and Mizzou still winless, but not for long!
The SEC’s last-place teams meet Saturday in Nashville with win #1 on the line.
SEC Scoreboard
TUESDAY, JANUARY 30
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| South Carolina | 63 | (5) Tennessee | 59 |
| Mississippi State | 82 | Ole Miss | 86 |
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| (24) Alabama | 85 | Georgia | 76 |
| Florida | 94 | (10) Kentucky | 91 |
| Arkansas | 91 | Missouri | 84 |
| Vanderbilt | 54 | (16) Auburn | 81 |
SEC Standings
| CONF | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | |
| Alabama | 7-1 | 15-6 | 10-1 | 3-2 | 2-3 |
| South Carolina | 6-2 | 18-3 | 11-1 | 4-2 | 3-0 |
| Auburn | 6-2 | 17-4 | 11-0 | 2-3 | 4-1 |
| Tennessee | 5-2 | 15-5 | 10-1 | 3-2 | 2-2 |
| Ole Miss | 5-3 | 18-3 | 13-0 | 3-3 | 2-0 |
| Kentucky | 5-3 | 15-5 | 10-2 | 3-2 | 2-1 |
| Florida | 5-3 | 15-6 | 9-1 | 2-3 | 4-2 |
| Georgia | 4-4 | 14-7 | 11-2 | 3-2 | 0-3 |
| Texas A&M | 3-4 | 12-8 | 7-3 | 3-3 | 2-2 |
| LSU | 3-4 | 11-9 | 8-3 | 1-4 | 2-2 |
| Mississippi State | 3-5 | 14-7 | 8-2 | 0-5 | 6-0 |
| Arkansas | 2-6 | 11-10 | 8-4 | 1-3 | 2-3 |
| Missouri | 0-8 | 8-13 | 6-6 | 2-5 | 0-2 |
| Vanderbilt | 0-7 | 5-15 | 5-7 | 0-5 | 0-3 |
SEC Schedule – Saturday, February 3
| TIME | AWAY | HOME | TV |
| 12:00 PM ET | Arkansas | LSU | ESPN2 |
| 1:00 PM ET | Georgia | South Carolina | SEC Network |
| 3:30 PM ET | Missouri | Vanderbilt | SEC Network |
| 4:00 PM ET | Florida | Texas A&M | ESPN2 |
| 6:00 PM ET | Auburn | Ole Miss | SEC Network |
| 8:30 PM ET | Tennessee | Kentucky | ESPN |
| 8:30 PM ET | Mississippi State | Alabama | SEC Network |
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