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Malik Monk hits cold-blooded three-pointer to beat UNC (Video)

By Rob Wolkenbrod

Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) gestures towards a teammate during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 17, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Malik Monk (5) gestures towards a teammate during a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky’s Malik Monk hit a heavily contested three-point shot to give Kentucky the very late lead.

Malik Monk has looked impressive in his first season at Kentucky. Coming into Saturday evening’s CBS Sports Classic game against North Carolina, he averaged 19.4 points per game on 47-percent shooting. This is along with the dominance of De’Aaron Fox as the Wildcats have looked like one of the best teams in college basketball.

During the UNC game, Monk went off for his best game as a collegiate player. He had an astounding 47 points on 64-percent shooting. However, his final three points were the biggest of the game.

After picking up a rebound and going down the court, Monk went toward the Kentucky bench and seemed to be ready to shoot. He hesitated for a moment, but ended up taking a heavily contested attempt. This wouldn’t matter as he sank this shot as a cold-blooded dagger to put UK up, 101-100 with seconds remaining.

"Malik Monk would like to place an order for ONIONS! https://t.co/ZIBubpcOkP— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) December 18, 2016"

This closed out a phenomenal game, potentially the best one of the early college basketball season. It was a battle of Kentucky and UNC, two of the top teams in the nation, but Monk stood out as the bona fide star of this game. 47 points for an 18-year-old freshman is incredible, something he will never forget and a performance that may turn out to be one of the best in college basketball. It was also the best single-game performance for a freshman in Kentucky basketball history.

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Games like this will only help Malik Monk’s draft status for 2017. He could end up as a top 10 pick with NBA teams looking back on performances like this. Monk showed off his shooting prowess and ability to be clutch in a big moment, two things that will go a long way to becoming a pro.