Lamont Butler (who else?) wins MVP of the Battle of the Bluegrass

When it came to naming a Most Valuable Player of Kentucky’s 93-85 win over Louisville, there really was no other option. Lamont Butler is taking home the Battle of the Bluegrass MVP belt after his 33-point performance vs. the Cards, a decision I think the entire Big Blue Nation agrees with.

We didn’t even know if Butler was going to play today. He was questionable coming into the game with the ankle injury he suffered vs. Clemson. Butler didn’t just play, he dominated, going 10-10 from the floor (including 6-6 from three) for a career-high 33 points to go along with six assists, three rebounds, and three turnovers in 32 minutes. According to ESPN, he is only the second SEC player in the last 20 years to finish wtih 30+ points on 100% field-goal shooting.

After missing two games, there was no way Butler was going to sit this one out. Not only that, he didn’t miss a single shot from the floor, joining a long list of Cardinal killers in Kentucky history. After the game, Pat Kelsey reminded reporters this wasn’t the first time he’d been burned by Butler.

“Lamont Butler was magnificent. I still see that kid in my nightmares because we played against him when I was the head coach of the College of Charleston and he was the point guard at San Diego State and we played an epic battle in the first round and he was just an absolute warrior. He’s a winner.”

Mark Pope said the same before the game with this quote, which really hits home after tonight’s performance.

“He just wants to win, right? And when you come to this game just wanting to win, you bring a pureness to the game that the game rewards you for, actually. When you worry about making shots or you worry about getting points or you worry about minutes, the game doesn’t really reward you for that. When you worry about winning, it does. And he’s been that way his whole career. He’s got better and better and better and we’re gonna see some of the some of the beauty.”

🗣️ MVP, MVP, MVP

33 PTS (10/10 FG, 6/6 3FG) | 6 AST | 3 REB pic.twitter.com/6CXmELKpG7

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 15, 2024

Lamont Butler was PERFECT from the field against Louisville🔥

▪️ 33 PTS
▪️ 10-10 FG
▪️ 6-6 3PT
▪️ 6 AST pic.twitter.com/PSNU6wMi0k

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) December 15, 2024

Previous Battle of the Bluegrass MVPs

• Josh Harrellson (UK-2010)
• Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (UK-2011)
• Russ Smith (UofL-2012)
• James Young (UK-2013)
• Tyler Ulis (UK-2014/2015)
• Quentin Snider (UofL-2016)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (UK-2017)
• Tyler Herro (UK-2018)
• Tyrese Maxey (UK-2019)
• Carlik Jones and David Johnson (UofL-2020)
• Jacob Toppin (UK-2022)
• Antonio Reeves (UK-2023)