Tennessee's Dalton Knecht Excites Fans with Clutch FTs in March Madness Win vs. Texas

It took until the very end, but the Tennessee Volunteers survived a major test.

The second-seeded Vols outlasted the seventh-seeded Texas Longhorns 62-58 in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

The Volunteers held off a late push from the Longhorns and avoided the upset at the hands of a future conference rival. Jonas Aidoo had 11 points, four rebounds and three assists for Tennessee, and Tobe Awaka had 10 points and five rebounds.

However, the story for Tennessee, as it has for much of the season, was the play of first-team All-American Dalton Knecht. He had 18 points, nine rebounds and an assist, but was not super efficient as he shot 5-of-18 and went 1-of-8 from three-point range.

However, he really showed up at the free-throw line, going 7-of-8. This included two clutch makes at the end of the game that put Tennessee up by four, essentially putting the game away.

Fans took to social media to express appreciation for his clutch play despite some struggles early.

The win advances Tennessee to the Sweet 16 round. This is the farthest the program has gone since 2018-19, when it reached the same round. The Volunteers have not reached the Elite Eight since 2009-10.

Tennessee will await the winner of Creighton and Oregon.