Southeastern Conference women's basketball coaches picked Kentucky as the team to beat in a pre-season poll released by the league on Tuesday morning.

UK star senior A'dia Mathies was selected as pre-season Player of the Year. Sophomore guard Bria Goss, last year's SEC Freshman of the Year, and junior forward Samarie Walker were voted to the second team.

The sixth-ranked Cats return 10 letter-winners and four starters from last season's regular-season SEC champions. UK advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Connecticut.

The coaches' projected order of finish: Kentucky, Georgia, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU, Florida, Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, Alabama, Missouri and Mississippi.

First-team All-SEC: Sarah Watkins, Arkansas; Jennifer George, Florida; Anne Marie Armstrong, Georgia; Jasmine Hassell, Georgia; Mathies, Kentucky; Meighan Simmons, Tennessee; Kelsey Bone, Texas A&M; Christina Foggie, Vanderbilt; Jasmine Lister, Vanderbilt.

Second-team All-SEC: Jasmine James, Georgia; Goss, Kentucky; Walker, Kentucky; Adrienne Webb, LSU; Valencia McFarland, Mississippi; Ieasia Walker, South Carolina; Ariel Massengale, Tennessee; Tiffany Clarke, Vanderbilt.

Jennifer Smith: (859) 231-3241. Twitter: @jenheraldleader. Blog: ukwomen.bloginky.com