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SEC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Alabama
- Auburn
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- Texas
- Kentucky
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Missouri
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Vanderbilt
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 1ST TEAM:
-Mark Sears – Alabama
-Johni Broome – Auburn
-Walter Clayton Jr. – Florida
-Zakai Zeigler – Tennessee
-Wade Taylor IV – Texas A&M
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 2ND TEAM:
-Grant Nelson – Alabama
-Jonas Aidoo – Arkansas
-Johnell Davis – Arkansas
-Matthew Murrell – Ole Miss
-Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 3RD TEAM:
-Chad Baker-Mazara – Auburn
-Alex Condon – Florida
-Jaxson Robinson – Kentucky
-Collin Murray-Boyles – South Carolina
-Tramon Mark – Texas
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-My overall thought is that it is insane how good this conference is this year!!
-Alabama won 25 games a year ago and made it all the way to the Final Four. This followed up a 31-win season where they were expected to make the Final Four, but lost earlier in the NCAA Tournament. This year, the Tide are once again a team that looks to be good enough to go back to the Final Four and perhaps win it all. They are tasked with replacing three key starters, including Aaron Estrada (who was a big key for them last year), but Mark Sears is back as one of the top players in the country. Like last year, they have some guys transferring in who should fit right into their system, like Clifford Omoruyi from Rutgers. This is a stacked team that will likely be high in the rankings all season long.
-Auburn is not ranked quite as high to start the season as their in-state rivals, but I personally like them as much as Alabama, and perhaps even a little more. Three starters return from a 27-win team a year ago, and while they lost early in the NCAA Tournament they still had a phenomenal season, and I think the way their talent and experience fits in with their style of play makes them one of the most dangerous teams in the country. They have a strong center in Johni Broome who can score, rebound, and defend. They have outstanding athletic guards in JP Pegues who can score, pass, defend, and shoot. JP, along with Denver Jones/Miles Kelly, make up one of the best backcourts in the country for the Tigers. I think Auburn can win the SEC this year and make quite a bit of noise come March.
-Tennessee has won 25 or more games the last three seasons and made it all the way to the Elite Eight last year. This year they have another strong team despite losing four key starters and the expectations are once again really high. Zakai Ziegler returns to run the point, and he will be joined by Chaz Lanier (who was a big time player at North Florida) and Igor Milicic Jr. (who was a standout player at Charlotte). I do not want to doubt this team given their recent history, but the one question I do have is: while they have a lot of really solid players, can they adjust to playing at the level of what the SEC will be this year?
-The John Calipari era has begun at Arkansas!! The Razorbacks were an underwhelming 16-17 last year and were just 6-12 in SEC play, but with an influx of talent including DJ Wagner from Kentucky, Johnell Davis from Florida Atlantic, and Adou Thiero from Kentucky, they have a roster stacked with guys who were standout players on high-level teams. We have seen Calipari’s ability to have talent gel together, and if he can do that this year then Arkansas should be positioned to earn a protected seed and go far in March.
-Texas A&M won 21 games a year ago and made it to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. With three key starters back, the expectations are even higher this year for the Aggies. They do lose Tyrece Radford, but Wade Taylor IV is back at PG, and is one of the better guards in the country. Zhuric Phelps transfers in from SMU and helps complete what should be an incredibly strong backcourt. They have a fairly solid frontcourt as well, so Uncle Buzz and Co. should have another strong year this year!
-Florida had a very good year last year in Todd Golden’s second year as head coach, and with three starters back from a 24-win team that made the NCAA Tournament, expectations are high again this year. They do lose a very good player in Zyon Pullin, but Walter Clayton Jr. is a fantastic PG and Alijah Martin will be strong at the #2 position, so the backcourt is solid. If some of the guys in the frontcourt can step up and contribute this year the Gators will once again be very dangerous and likely in the Top-25 throughout the season.
-Texas lost their entire starting lineup from a year ago, but expectations are still high for Coach Rodney Terry and the Longhorns after how hard they hit the portal. Jordan Pope, who was a fantastic player for Oregon State, will be the starting PG this year. Tramon Mark comes in from Arkansas and is a really good shooter and scorer. Arthur Kaluma is a strong post player and scorer from Kansas State, so they have managed to restock the cupboard. The question is whether or not they can they gel and play together as a unit.
-Kentucky fans were demanding an overhaul! Well, they got one. Mark Pope replaces John Calipari as head coach, and the Wildcats will have a completely new starting lineup this year. It is a lineup that is heavy on graduate transfers. Lamont Butler from San Diego State is a solid PG, Jaxson Robinson is a solid perimeter player who followed Mark Pope from BYU, Andrew Carr was a solid PF from Wake Forest who can score and rebound, and Amari Williams is another one coming in from Drexel. The Wildcats have proven experience and maturity. The question is how much better are these guys than the ones that left? And, while they are certainly solid, are they as good as some of the rest of the teams in this league? Kentucky looks to me like a very solid top-25 team…but they have been a top-25 team for the last three years. The fans did not think that was good enough. I think they are a long way from being as good as Auburn, or Alabama, or Tennessee, and when they go on the road to places like Clemson, and Gonzaga, Texas, Ole Miss, and Alabama, they are almost assuredly going to struggle. To win just one of those games would be a pretty big accomplishment. What will the attitude of their fanbase be if the season ends and they’re not any better than what they have been the last three years?? Because, well, I do not think they will be.
-Ole Miss showed quite a bit of improvement last year under 1st year coach Chris Beard with a 20-win season. With three starters back from that team, including Matthew Murrell (who opted to stay rather than enter the NBA Draft) and Jaemyn Brakefield who is a strong player in the frontcourt. They also add five very strong-looking transfers to the roster, four of whom were double-digit scorers, so Ole Miss looks to have their strongest team in a while. I think they can make the NCAA Tournament this year, and are good enough to land in the top half of the bracket. It has been a while since we have said this about Ole Miss…but they are good!
-Mississippi State was an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, and Chris Jans is a really solid coach. It seems odd to see them picked to finish as low as 10th this year, but I think that says more about the teams that are ahead of them than it does about the Bulldogs. Josh Hubbard and Claudell Harris Jr. are both prolific scorers, and Kanye Clary is transferring in from Penn State as another great scorer/shooter. I think they are an NCAA Tournament team again this year! It would not shock me at all to see the SEC get as many as ten teams inside the bubble.
-South Carolina had a great season last year with 26 total wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Lamont Paris is a fantastic coach, and considering they have two starters back and are adding some guys from the portal who could contribute they should be able to win some games this year. Having said that, I do think they have digressed somewhat and will not be quite as good as they were a year ago, but last year the expectations were almost nonexistent and they ended up having a great year.
-Georgia won 20 games a year ago, which was Coach Mike White’s 2nd year and the best season the Bulldogs have had in a while. With three starters back and given how they finished the season last year there is reason to be excited this year. I like this team, I like what they have coming back, and I think they have added some very strong transfers. Here’s the problem, though. This league is SOOOO good! I think they will win their share of games, and I think they will be very tough to beat at home, but as good as they seem to be, you just get the feeling that on a lot of nights they are going to be swinging over their heads.
-Missouri was awful last year. They won just eight games, and you have to wonder if Dennis Gates is on the hot seat this year. I am not expecting things to be a whole lot better for the Tigers this year. They went winless in conference a year ago, and while I think they will at least win a couple of SEC games, I do not see them competing with any of the top-12 teams in the league.
-Coach Matt McMahon has had a rough two years since coming over from Murray State. They were playing a little better down the stretch at the end of last season, and while two starters are back, I still do not think they can compete with the top-12 teams in the conference. Although, I do think they may be the best out of the remaining four.
-Last year, Porter Moser had a much better second season as head coach than he did in his first season, and won 20 games a year ago. It seems a little strange seeing Oklahoma picked this low. While they are not a basketball blueblood, they have certainly had their share of success. Two starters are back, and there are some guys they got in the portal with solid D-1 experience, and perhaps they can do a little better than finishing just one from the bottom, but…not much better I do not think.
-Mark Byington takes over as Vanderbilt coach after a very successful run at James Madison, and he has his work cut out for him. They were not all that good a year ago, the entire starting lineup is gone, and he has to rebuild in a conference that is unbelievably strong. Wins will likely be very tough to come by this year. He did go into the portal and seems to have a roster that is better than what Vandy has had in a while, so maybe they will not be the doormats of the league.