This time last year, Tennessee’s men’s basketball team was picked to finish 13th out of 14 SEC teams by media members at SEC Media Day. This year, the Vols were picked to finish quite a bit higher.
Tennessee was picked to finish second in the SEC for the upcoming 2018-19 season by the media at SEC Media Day on Wednesday. For the 14th time in the last 21 seasons, Kentucky was picked to win the SEC during the regular season.
Last year, the Vols were predicted to finish second-to-last in the conference but ended up winning a share of the SEC regular season title and played Kentucky in the SEC Tournament Finals. Tennessee also earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament but got bounced in the second round by Cinderella team Loyola-Chicago.
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This year, however, the Vols have been picked as runner-ups to Kentucky. And the hype is at all-time high for UT’s men’s basketball team.
Not only are expectations raised for the Vols’ whole team, but some of Tennessee’s individual players are also being recognized before the start of the upcoming season.
Grant Williams was voted as the preseason SEC Player of the Year. He was awarded the SEC Player of the Year after last season and goes into this year as the favorite to win it once again. He was also voted onto the preseason First Team All-SEC team. His teammate, Admiral Schofield, was voted onto the Second Team All-SEC squad.
The Vols return all five starters, Co-SEC Sixth Man of the Year Lamonte Turner, and SEC Coach of the Year Rick Barnes from last year, and Tennessee is expected to build off last year’s success and have an even better season this year.
Tennessee’s regular season begins on November 6th when they host head coach Rick Barnes’ alma mater, Lenoir-Rhyne.
Here’s how the preseason predictions played out by the media members gathered at SEC Media Day:
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Mississippi State
- Florida
- LSU
- Alabama
- Vanderbilt
- Missouri
- Arkansas
- South Carolina
- Texas A&M
- Georgia
- 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
