SEC media panel picks No. 9 Tennessee to win league, Texas A&M's Taylor as preseason player of year
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes watches his players during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Tennessee has extended coach Rick Barnes' contract through the 2027-28 season, which should help ensure he finishes his career with the Volunteers. Credit: AP/Rogelio V. Solis
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Tennessee is the favorite to win the Southeastern Conference men's basketball title and Texas A&M's Wade Taylor IV is preseason player of the year, according to votes compiled by the league.
The Volunteers, who enter the season ranked No. 9, are favored for the first time since the 2020-21 season and fifth time overall in voting by a panel of SEC and national media members. The league released the preseason predictions on Tuesday.
The seven preseason first-team All-SEC picks: Taylor, Alabama's Grant Nelson, Mississippi State's Tolu Smith, Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi, Kentucky freshman Justin Edwards, Arkansas' Trevon Brazile and Auburn's Johni Broome.
No. 15 Texas A&M was picked to finish second, followed by No. 14 Arkansas, No. 16 Kentucky and No. 24 Alabama, the defending champion.
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