USBWA Tabs Lamont Butler National Player of the Week
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lamont Butler’s legendary performance vs. Louisville this past Saturday continues to reverberate throughout the basketball world as the UK point guard was selected as one of five U.S. Basketball Writers Association national Division I players of the week, it was announced on Tuesday.
Returning from a brief two-game absence due to injury, Butler scored a career-high 33 points in the Wildcats’ rivalry victory over Louisville last Saturday, going a perfect 10-of-10 from the field and 6-of-6 from 3-point range.
Butler’s 33 points were the second most ever by a Wildcat against Louisville, and his six-made threes tied for the most by a UK player in the rivalry. He also dished out a game-high six assists in the 93-85 victory inside Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center.
The 10-for-10 shooting performance tied for the third-best in program history. Only Rodney Dent (12 for 12 vs. Morehead State on Dec. 17, 1993) and Kenny Walker (11 of 11 vs. Western Kentucky on March 16, 1986) had better outings. The 6-for-6 performance behind the arc trails only Wenyen Gabriel’s 7-for-7 day in the SEC Tournament on March 10, 2018.
Since 1996-97, Butler is the only Division I player to make all of his shots, score at least 33 points and chart at least six assists. He’s just the second SEC player to finish with 30 or more points and hit all his shot attempts in the last 20 seasons. The 33 points are the most by a Division I player with a perfect field-goal percentage in any game this season.
In addition to the USBWA honors, Butler was also selected as the Co-Player of the Week by the Southeastern Conference. The Moreno Valley, California native is averaging 15.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds in nine games this season.
USBWA’s five honorees for the week ending Dec. 15 include:
- Lamont Butler, Kentucky
- Tarence Guinyard, UT Martin
- Jamichael Stillwell, Milwaukee
- Taryn Todd, Arkansas State
- Brice Williams, Nebraska
Kentucky returns to action at the CBS Sports Classic inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Cats will take on Ohio State at 5:30 p.m. ET.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
