Update: Malik Monk continues march up Kentucky’s single-season scoring list
University of Kentucky freshman Malik Monk continued to soar up the Wildcats’ single-season scoring chart with 27 points in Kentucky’s 73-67 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.
For the second game in a row, a second-half explosion by Monk boosted Kentucky to victory.
Monk scored 30 points in the second half and 33 in the game as Kentucky rallied to defeat Florida on Saturday.
Tuesday night, Monk had seven at halftime and finished with 27.
Tuesday night’s Senior Night performance by the freshman moved Monk past Tony Delk and Cotton Nash and into 14th place on Kentucky’s single-season scoring list.
Monk has scored a team-leading 650 points in 30 games this season, an average of 21.7 per game. He needs eight points to eclipse Brandon Knight and move into 13th place.
Kentucky has one regular-season game remaining — Saturday at Texas A&M — followed by a maximum of three more games in the Southeastern Conference Tournament and a maximum of six in the NCAA Tournament.
If Monk were to continue at his present pace (21.7 points per game) and play a maximum of 10 more games, he would score an additional 217 points, pushing his single-season total to 867.
At 867 points, Monk would finish second on Kentucky’s all-time single-season list, 81 points shy of Dan Issel’s remarkable record of 948 points, which he set as a senior at Kentucky in 1969-70. Issel, who averaged 33.9 points over 28 games that season, is UK’s all-time men’s basketball scoring leader with 2,138 career points.
Here is the updated list of the top 15 single-season scorers in UK history:
Player | Season | Games | Avg. | Points |
1. Dan Issel | 1969-70 | 28 | 33.9 | 948 |
2. Jodie Meeks | 2008-09 | 36 | 23.7 | 854 |
3. Jamal Mashburn | 1991-92 | 36 | 21.3 | 767 |
4. Dan Issel | 1968-69 | 28 | 26.6 | 746 |
5. Kevin Grevey | 1974-75 | 31 | 23.5 | 730 |
6. Ron Mercer | 1996-97 | 40 | 18.1 | 725 |
7. Kenny Walker | 1985-86 | 36 | 20.0 | 721 |
8. Jamal Murray | 2015-16 | 36 | 20.0 | 720 |
9. Jamal Mashburn | 1992-93 | 34 | 21.0 | 714 |
10. Kenny Walker | 1984-85 | 31 | 22.9 | 710 |
11. Alex Groza | 1948-49 | 34 | 20.5 | 698 |
12. Cliff Hagan | 1951-52 | 32 | 21.6 | 692 |
13. Brandon Knight | 2010-11 | 38 | 17.3 | 657 |
14. Malik Monk | 2016-17 | 30 | 21.7 | 650 |
15. Cotton Nash | 1963-64 | 27 | 24.0 | 648 |
While Issel’s record seems beyond reach, the freshman record set by the bow-and-arrow-slinging Jamal Murray last season could be an achievable target for Monk.
Here are the top five single-season scoring seasons by UK freshmen:
Player | Season | Games | Avg. | Points |
1. Jamal Murray | 2015-16 | 36 | 20.0 | 720 |
2. Brandon Knight | 2010-11 | 38 | 17.3 | 657 |
3. Malik Monk | 2016-17 | 30 | 21.7 | 650 |
4. John Wall | 2009-10 | 37 | 16.6 | 616 |
5. Julius Randle | 2013-14 | 40 | 15.0 | 599 |
This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 11:34 PM with the headline "Update: Malik Monk continues march up Kentucky’s single-season scoring list."