UT’s Golden Earns Weekly SEC Basketball Honors

Feb 19, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Trae Golden (11) brings the ball up court against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 82 to 72. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee’s Trae Golden, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior guard from Powder Springs, Ga., was named SEC Player of the Week after averaging 26 points, six assists and 3.5 rebounds in wins over LSU and at Texas A&M. In Saturday’s four-overtime road victory – the longest game in school history – Golden scored 15 of his career-high 32 points after regulation. He delivered two game-changing jumpers in the fourth overtime. Golden had earlier made a jump shot with 18 seconds left in overtime to force a second extra period. He made 19 of 20 free throws this week (.950) and averaged 26.0 points. Against LSU’s talented backcourt Tuesday, Golden totaled 20 points and a game-high eight assists. During UT’s win streak, Golden is shooting 48 percent and averaging 20.8 points, 4.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds.

Kentucky’s Willie Cauley-Stein, a 7-foot, 244-pound freshman forward from Olathe, Kan., was named SEC Freshman of the Week after averaging 13.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and five blocks in wins over Vanderbilt and Missouri. Cauley-Stein began the week by pouring in a career-high 20 points to couple with a team-high seven rebounds and three blocks. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the win over Vanderbilt. In an overtime thriller against Missouri, Cauley-Stein altered the game defensively with a career-high seven blocked shots. His 12 rebounds was a career-high tying, and it marked only the third game in his career with double-figure rebounding.