It was the SEC Tip-Off on October 19, the SEC’s media day ringing in the 2022-23 season. This is a year filled with excitement for a league that is projected to be one of the best in the country with an exciting influx of new coaches, the recruitment of expected first round NBA talent, and the return of some proven commodities that will challenge for All-American selections.
One of the most anticipated releases of the SEC Tip-Off is the media poll, something that will be referenced repeatedly entering conference play as a reference for where teams are expected to finish. Here is how the media, composed of both local and national media, voted:
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Auburn
- Alabama
- Texas A&M
- Florida
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- Vanderbilt
- Georgia
- South Carolina
Florida coming in at 7th isn’t a terrible surprise, though it would be on the lower side of consensus when you look at a lot of the national media that has picked the league. The SEC is looking like a monster this year that will push for 9-10 teams in the NCAA Tournament, so while a 7th place finish for the Gators might not look particularly glamorous it could still mean a quality season and a quality seed in the Big Dance.
In the spirit of full transparency, here was my ballot:
- Kentucky
- Tennessee
- Arkansas
- Auburn
- Alabama
- Florida
- Texas A&M
- LSU
- Ole Miss
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- Vanderbilt
- South Carolina
- Georgia
Arguably the fan base with the biggest gripe (so far) with the rankings are Missouri fans who have been ecstatic with the early returns of newly hired coach Dennis Gates. However, the media don’t seem to be as high on the low-major and mid-major transfers he has filled the roster with, projecting them to struggle with the jump in level.
Early in the offseason the consensus number two team in the SEC would be Tennessee, but Arkansas has surged in popularity throughout the summer and it’s clear the media members think that projected top-5 NBA Draft pick Nick Smith is going to be dominant.
In addition to the preseason rankings the media also decided on a first and second All-SEC teams:
First Team:
Nick Smith (Arkansas)
Colin Castleton (Florida)
Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
Sahvir Wheeler (Kentucky)
Santiago Vescovi (Tennessee)
Second Team:
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
Jahvon Quinerly (Alabama)
KJ Williams (LSU)
Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)
Zakai Zeigler (Tennessee)
Oscar Tshiebwe was also named preseason Player Of The Year, unsurprisingly after he took home the title last season.
Colin Castleton is an established machine in the SEC, a walking double-double who has won the Gators a number of games in the last two seasons with his interior production so there is no surprise that he was comfortably on the first team. It might be a challenge to push Tshiebwe for Player Of The Year, but since he plays the same position as him there will be opportunity for Castleton to go head to head with him both from a competition and statistical standpoint so if he is more productive and the Gators end up finishing higher than 7th Castleton will certainly command votes.
Once again, in the spirit of transparency my ballot was as follows (media members submitted 7-man teams):
Oscar Tshiebwe
Sahvir Wheeler
Colin Castleton
Nick Smith
Santiago Vescovi
Tolu Smith
KD Johnson
The SEC Tip-Off means the season is getting here in a hurry so soon Gator basketball will be upon us!