Lamont Butler Earns SEC Player of the Week Honors
LEXINGTON, Ky. – On Saturday, Kentucky men’s basketball head coach Mark Pope dubbed guard Lamont Butler’s performance against Louisville as “one of the all-time greatest performances in the history of this super special game.” It was in fact one that has been recognized as one of the best, as Butler was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week following his memorable outing vs. the Cards.
After missing the previous two games due to injury, Butler made all 10 of his field-goal attempts, including all six from behind the arc, and poured in a career-high 33 points. It was the most scored in the rivalry for a Wildcat since Derrick Miller had 34 on Dec. 30, 1989. The six made 3s are the most for a UK player vs. Louisville, tying Jeff Brassow who also had six on Dec. 29, 1990.
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 of his shot attempts in the last 20 seasons.
In addition to his career high in points, Butler’s six made 3s are also a personal best. The Moreno Valley, California, native also dished out a game-high and season-best six assists.
This week’s award is the second SEC weekly honor for Kentucky. Andrew Carr captured the honor following UK’s come-from-behind win over Duke.
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.
