UK Men's Basketball

Media picks Kentucky to win SEC, two Cats earn preseason honors

A poll of Southeastern Conference and select national media members picked Kentucky to win the SEC title this season and placed two Cats among the league’s preseason All-SEC teams.

In the preseason media poll, Kentucky was followed by Tennessee, Auburn, Mississippi State and Florida in the top five.

Stanford graduate transfer Reid Travis was the only Kentucky player selected among the media’s preseason All-SEC first team. Kentucky’s PJ Washington was a second-team selection.

Travis earned first-team All-Pac 12 honors last year, averaging 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Washington, a sophomore, is UK’s leading returning scorer (10.8 points) and rebounder (5.7).

Tennessee forward Grant Williams was selected as the SEC preseason player of the year.

Kentucky opens its exhibition season at 7 p.m. Sunday with the Blue-White Game in Rupp Arena. Its first regular-season game is Nov. 6 against Duke in Indianapolis.

SEC Preseason Media Poll

  1. Kentucky
  2. Tennessee
  3. Auburn
  4. Mississippi State
  5. Florida
  6. LSU
  7. Alabama
  8. Vanderbilt
  9. Missouri
  10. Arkansas
  11. South Carolina
  12. Texas A&M
  13. Georgia
  14. Ole Miss

First Team All-SEC

Daniel Gafford, Arkansas

Reid Travis, Kentucky

Tremont Waters, LSU

Chris Silva, South Carolina

Grant Williams, Tennessee

Second Team All-SEC

Bryce Brown, Auburn

Jared Harper, Auburn

Jalen Hudson, Florida

PJ Washington, Kentucky

Quinndary Weatherspoon, Mississippi State

Jontay Porter, Missouri

Admiral Schofield, Tennessee

SEC Player of the Year

Grant Williams, Tennessee

This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 12:50 PM.

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