SEC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Florida
- Texas
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Kentucky
- Missouri
- Texas A&M
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Ole Miss
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- South Carolina
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 1ST TEAM:
-Rueben Chinyelu – Florida
-Juke Harris – Tennessee
-Thomas Haugh – Florida
-Josh Hubbard – Mississippi State
-Tyler Tanner – Vanderbilt
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 2ND TEAM:
-Amari Allen – Alabama
-Alex Condon – Florida
-Milan Momcilovic – Kentucky
-Jordan Smith Jr. – Arkansas
-Matas Vokietaitis – Texas
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 3RD TEAM:
-PJ Haggerty – Texas A&M
-Malachi Moreno – Kentucky
-Tahaad Pettiford – Auburn
-David Punch – Texas
-Billy Richmond III – Arkansas
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-After one of the most dominant overall seasons we have ever seen from a conference two years ago, the SEC was merely an outstanding conference last year instead of historically being historically dominant like it was in 2024-2025. This year they once again appear to have multiple teams that could make the Final Four, and one in particular that is my pick to win it all.
-Florida: they are my pick to win it all. They are quite simply outstanding in seemingly every position. Four starters return from last year’s team that won 27 total games and finished in 1st place in the SEC. Coach Todd Golden is just one year removed from a national championship and this year’s team is good enough to do it again. Boogie Fland is an experienced point guard, Denzel Aberdeen is a solid shooting guard, Thomas Haugh averaged over 17ppg last year, Alex Condon is a huge force in the post and averaged 15ppg and 7 rebounds per game last year, and, Rueben Chinyelu at center averaged a double-double. They have guys who can come off the bench as well: they have it all.
-Coach Sean Miller has hit the portal and built another very strong team at Texas. Just one starter is back, but the talent is being reloaded. Isaiah Johnson comes in at point guard after having a huge year at Colorado last year, Mikey Lewis was a double-digit scorer for Saint Mary’s and he will help complete a very strong backcourt, and David Punch comes over from TCU after averaging over 14ppg last year, so Texas has a lot of strong pieces and has the talent to be a protected seed if those pieces can play together.
-Arkansas has made it to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens in the two years that Coach John Calipari has been there and will look to go further this year. It looks like they may be starting a freshman at point guard and there could be a learning curve with that, but Jeremiah Wilkinson comes over from Georgia to join some guys who saw key minutes last year. Calipari’s teams always seems to improve as the year goes on, so by the time we get into conference play Arkansas will likely be dangerous.
-Tennessee is having to replace all five starters, but Coach Rick Barnes has never had issues when he had to reload. Terrence Hill Jr. was a standout PG at VCU and is capable of playing at the SEC level, Tyler Lundblade is a grad transfer from Belmont, and the two of them will make up a talented backcourt. Juke Harris averaged over 20ppg at Wake Forest last year and Jalen Washington comes in from rival Vanderbilt to play center. You are never quite sure how good a team will be when they have so many players who have not played together before, but given the talent of the players and the strength of the coaches one could easily suspect that Tennessee will once again be a monster.
-Alabama won 25 games last year, finished 2nd in the SEC, and made the Sweet Sixteen…and still people felt like they could have been better. That is how strong this program has become under Coach Nate Oats. Two key starters are back, and Aden Holloway will likely be a huge contributor at the PG position after he returns from suspension. He had some off-court issues last year, but it looks as though that water has gone under the bridge. Amari Allen is another outstanding guard, Drew Fielder was a great player in the post for Boise State last year, and they have some guys who can come off the bench. It is never a good idea to underestimate Nate Oats: Alabama will likely be near the top of the standings yet again.
-Vanderbilt has gotten good in a hurry under Coach Mark Byington, and last year they won an amazing 27 games before losing in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Tyler Tanner is one of the best point guards in the country and will be joined in the backcourt by Ace Glass, who put up solid numbers at Washington State a year ago. Bangot Dak also transfers in and at 7′ tall he should be a force in the paint for the Dores.
-Kentucky has been solid under Coach Mark Pope for the last two years, but that is all they have been and the Wildcat fans want them to be so much more than that. Back-to-back 20+ win seasons where they are in the top-25 and getting to the Round of 32 is solid. It is not bad. And…I think that is about what they are poised to do again this year. Just one starter returns, but they have a really strong PG in Zoom Diallo from Washington, and he will be joined by Alex Wilkins who put up crazy numbers for Furman last year, so they’ve got a good backcourt. Milan Momcilovic was a standout player for Iowa State and is another big addition to the roster from the portal. This is a good team! A top-25 team! A team that can win a game in the NCAA Tournament and maybe make the Sweet Sixteen! But…Kentucky fans will not be happy if that is all they do. Unfortunately for their fans I do not see them doing much more than that.
-Coach Dennis Gates has turned Missouri into a consistent top-25-caliber program and is showing all signs of having them in that range again this year. Just one starter returns from last year’s team that lost in the Round of 64, but they once again have a talented group coming in. They may be starting a freshman at PG, but Jason Crowe is no ordinary freshman. In fact he averaged over 43ppg in high school last year, so…he is good! Jamier Jones transfers in from Providence and will join him in the backcourt. Trent Pierce averaged double-figures last year, and at 6’10” can hit from the outside. So, Mizzou has some talent!
-Coach Bucky McMillan had a great first year at Texas A&M last year and showed that he can win in the SEC with his exciting brand of basketball. He will have his work cut out for him this year with just one starter back, but getting Mackenzie Mgbako back from injury should help. PJ Haggerty also comes in after putting up huge numbers at Kansas State and will be a force right away. Jordan Pope averaged double-figures for rival Texas, so TAMU has talented guards. Again. They are not quite as strong in the interior, but this is a pressure-oriented/guard-heavy system. I like TAMU this year and think they may exceed their preseason expectations.
-Auburn was within reach of the NCAA Tournament, but just could not quite get enough wins. One or two more may have done it, and with this year’s expanded field the Tigers will likely be back in The Dance this year after a short hiatus. Steven Pearl begins his second year as coach and coaches are always more prepared for their second year than their first. Tahaad Pettiford is back and he will be a big contributor this year. Kevin Overton also returns, which will give Auburn a good and experienced backcourt. Thomas Dowd comes in after having a really good year at Troy and Adam Olsen also comes in after having a big year at South Alabama. I think Auburn will be better this year than they were a year ago. I like their roster and think they will play well together.
-Georgia is being picked kind of low, but look out. They return four starters from a talented team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago and Coach Mike White can flat out coach. They have balanced scoring with Blue Cain, Marcus Millender, and Kanon Catchings all averaging double-figures a year ago and are good outside shooters. They may have some issues with depth, but they should be fine. They have added some guys from the portal who can serve as solid role players.
-Porter Moser has won 20+ games for the last three seasons as coach at Oklahoma, but many still felt like they should have been better. They were just 7-11 in league play and fell short of the NCAA Tournament. Two key starters are back, including Xzayvier Brown who is a very solid PG. They also added some talent from the portal, so Oklahoma will definitely not be a team that anyone should overlook.
-Coach Chris Beard and the Ole Miss Rebels really struggled last year, going just 15-20 overall and winning just 4 SEC games. They did have a somewhat young team and appear to have a few more weapons this year. Beard has also proven that he can win, so do not be surprised if we see Ole Miss play a lot better this year.
-It is impossible to know what to really say about LSU because so much of their roster is in limbo. For the longest time they only had four active players listed, and they only played 7 in their exhibition game a few nights ago. A huge issue for the Tigers will likely be a lack of depth on a scale that we have never seen before. They were waiting on the eligibility status of several players to be decided…and right now it is not looking good for them.
-Chris Jans begins his 5th year as coach at Mississippi State and is coming off what was by far the most frustrating year he has had there. They won just 13 games and went just 5-13 in SEC play before losing their first conference tournament game. Josh Hubbard returns after averaging over 22ppg last year and should be getting some help from some solid portal pickups. RJ Johnson was a solid scorer for Kennesaw State and ND Okafor was a good player for Washington State. I must say that I like this team a lot more than 15th place.
-As for South Carolina…yeah, I agree with the last place pick. Coach Lamont Paris has had some good years, but not recently and probably not this year. All five starters from last year are gone and they will have to make due with guys that do not seem to have a lot of solid D-1 experience, much less SEC-level experience.
