Top SEC Men’s Basketball performers of the week

Malik Monk, Guard, Kentucky

Monk’s performance against a No. 13 Florida team that beat the Wildcats by 22 points just six games ago was good enough to earn him a spot on this list. Monk got off to a slow start, contributing just three points to Kentucky’s 30-28 halftime lead. However, Monk made history in the second half. He exploded for 30 points in the final half, the most ever in a half by a Wildcat player under head coach John Calipari. Monk finished with 33 points, five assists and four rebounds in the 76-66 win over the Gators that put Kentucky back in the driver’s seat for the regular season SEC crown.

J.J. Frazier, Guard, Georgia

After losing a tough 82-77 contest against Kentucky the week before, Georgia traveled to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. JJ Frazier was fresh off of a 36-point game against the Wildcats and he continued his success against Alabama. Although the Bulldogs won in a close 60-55 game, they never trailed. Frazier’s big game came with little to no help from his teammates as none of them had over 10 points in the game. Frazier shined once again scoring 28 points and snagging three rebounds, making it his eighth game in a row with double-digit points.

Coming fresh off of the win in Tuscaloosa, Georgia had a home game in Athens to take on the LSU Tigers. At one point in the first half, the Bulldogs led by 17 points, but the Tigers made a comeback in the second half and lead the game with under a minute to go. However, Frazier made two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to lift Georgia over LSU in an 82-80 win. Before the game, Frazier was reported to have flu-like symptoms, but still was able to record 29 points and eight assists.

KeVaughn Allen, Guard, Florida

To start off the week, Kevaughn Allen and Florida had a home contest against South Carolina, who beat them in their previous meeting this year. In the first meeting against the Gamecocks, the Gators made none of their 17 attempts from the 3-point line. This game was far different as Florida went 9-19 from deep. Allen led the Gators on the stat sheet with 26 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the 88-61 blowout in Gainesville. Allen has blossomed as a player since the first meeting between these two teams, where he recorded just one point.

Florida then traveled to the daunting Rupp Arena to take on the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats. The hostile Gators defense was able to shut down the machine that is Malik Monk to just three points in the first half. However, in the second half, the Wildcats shot 64 percent from the field and Monk took over and scored 30 points in 20 minutes. Although the Gators lost the game and their nine-game win streak, Allen still stuffed the stat sheet scoring 24 points while making five shots from beyond the arc.

Edited by Quinn Pilkey

Featured image by Chet White, courtesy of UK Athletics