Two Wildcats voted preseason All-SEC; Kentucky picked to finish as league runner-up

Two University of Kentucky players were voted to the preseason All-Southeastern Conference men’s basketball teams announced Thursday.

Freshman Brandon Boston was selected to the five-player First Team in voting by media members who cover the league. Transfer Olivier Sarr was named to the six-member Second Team.

The media predicted defending league champion Kentucky will finish second in the SEC this season behind Tennessee. They predicted Florida’s Keyontae Johnson would be SEC Player of the Year.

Boston, a consensus five-star prospect, a McDonald’s All-American and the highest-rated recruit in Kentucky’s incoming class, averaged 19.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game at Sierra Canyon High School in California last season when he was named the state’s Male Athlete of the Year and its Basketball Player of the Year by USA Today. Boston was named to the preseason watch list for the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the nation’s top small forward.

Sarr, who was granted immediately eligibility last month after transferring from Wake Forest, is expect to boost Kentucky’s frontcourt. The 7-footer enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2019-20 with the Demon Deacons, averaging 13.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. He shot 52.7% from the floor, made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Third Team and was the runner-up for the 2020 ACC Most Improved Player award. Sarr was named to the watch list for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, presented annually to the nation’s top center.

Joining Boston and Florida’s Johnson on the First Team were John Petty of Alabama, Trendon Watford of LSU and John Fulkerson of Tennessee.

Sarr was picked to the Second Team along with Javonte Smart of LSU, Dru Smith of Missouri, AJ Lawson of South Carolina, Yves Pons of Tennessee and Savion Flagg of Texas A&M.

The media’s predicted order of finish for the SEC behind Tennessee and Kentucky was LSU, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt.

This year’s voting marks only the second time in John Calipari’s 12 seasons as head coach that Kentucky was not picked to win the league. The last time was 2010-11, when the media correctly predicted Florida would win the conference but Kentucky won the SEC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

The Wildcats have won six SEC regular season and six conference tournament titles under Calipari.