Xaivian Lee Named SEC Player of the Week

Florida men’s basketball continued its dominance this week, taking down rivals Georgia and Kentucky to hold their spot atop the conference. The headlining story was senior guard Xaivian Lee’s return to greatness.

Lee’s 40 points and 10 assists over the two games was enough to earn him SEC Player of the Week by the conference Monday afternoon.

The week started off strong for the Princeton transfer, scoring 18 in Athens on Wednesday night against the Bulldogs. He also tacked on seven assists and three rebounds with steals, filling up every column on the stat sheet.

His 3-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc was the most threes Lee had made in a game since the Gators’ trip to Nashville in mid-January.

His week only got better from there. On Saturday, Lee knocked down a three in the opening possession against Kentucky, one of the Gators’ top competitors for the SEC regular season crown.

He stayed hot the rest of the game, going 7-for-12 from the field, as well as 4-for-7 from deep to net his season high 22 points. 

Lee is the fourth Gator to receive SEC Player of the Week honors this season (Thomas Haugh, Reuben Chinyelu, Alex Condon), a mark no Gators team has achieved before . 

This is a good sign of depth for the Gators lineup, as the team gears up for their home stretch. It is also a sign of improvement in guard play that has been questioned throughout the season, due to the team’s struggles from beyond the arc. Currently, Florida ranks 353rd nationally in three-point percentage. 

The Gators (19-6, 10-2 SEC) will be back in Exactech Arena on Tuesday to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks (11-14, 2-10 SEC), a team the Gators took down 95-48 on the road earlier this season.

Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Gators Men's Basketball, SEC