Dalton Knecht injury update before Tennessee basketball hosts George Mason
Dalton Knecht is day-to-day with a left ankle injury for Tennessee basketball, coach Rick Barnes said Monday.
Knecht, Tennessee's leading scorer, suffered the injury in the final minutes against North Carolina on Wednesday. He has been progressing well, Barnes said, but he expects UT will know more Tuesday about Knecht's status against George Mason.
"He's moving around, doing what we've asked him to do and he tells me he feels okay, but we'll see," Barnes said.
Knecht, a Northern Colorado transfer, is averaging 20.3 points and shooting 40.5% on 3-pointers. He is making 50.5% of his shots as the No. 13 Vols (4-3) prepare to host George Mason (7-1) on Tuesday (6:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network+) at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.
Barnes indicated Knecht's availability will depend on how the senior guard feels and if he is capable of playing.
"We'll hold him out if we don't think he's ready," Barnes said. "But players like that they want to play and we'll leave it up at what (trainer) Chad (Newman) and he thinks."
Knecht had 37 points in Tennessee's loss at North Carolina before leaving with 1:39 to play. He was 13-for-17 shooting and hit 4-of-8 on 3-pointers against UNC. Knecht's 37 points tied La Salle's Lionel Simmons for the most points scored by a visiting player the Dean Smith Center. Simmons did so in January 1988.
Dalton Knecht is day-to-day for Tennessee basketball
Knecht pulled Tennessee from 24 down to within less than 10 with a heroic second-half performance in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in UT's 100-92 loss in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.
Knecht was driving to the basket when he appeared to roll his ankle. He stayed down on the court and crumbled back to it when his teammates tried to help him up. He was evaluated on the court before being helped to the bench. Jonas Aidoo entered to shoot free throws for Knecht, who remained at the end of the bench.
Knecht has been UT's leading scorer in six of seven games.
Tobe Awaka, Freddie Dilione V updates before George Mason
Tennessee also was without forward Tobe Awaka (ankle) and guard Freddie Dilione V (foot) against the Tar Heels. Barnes said Awaka was a full participant in practice Sunday. If he continues on the same trajectory, Barnes said Awaka will be cleared to play Tuesday.
Dilione has not been a full participant in practice since suffering a foot injury on Nov. 14 against Wofford. He is hopeful the Vols will have Dilione back soon.
Awaka missed his first game after injuring his right ankle against Syracuse on Nov. 20. He played in UT's final two games in Maui before sitting out against UNC. Awaka is averaging 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in 9.2 minutes as a sophomore.
Dilione has missed four games with a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. Dilione is averaging 2.3 points in 7.0 minutes in three games.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Dalton Knecht injury update: Tennessee basketball hosts George Mason
