Gators Picked Second In SEC Media Poll, Blackshear Jr. Honored With Preseason POY

The votes from SEC and national media members were tallied on Tuesday and, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Gators were picked to finish second in the league behind the Kentucky Wildcats. Coach Calipari’s Wildcats are the perennial winner of the preseason SEC poll but Florida finishing second shows there is still some respect amongst media members for what is looking to be a special Florida roster.

Here is how the SEC was picked by voters:

1. Kentucky

2. Florida

3. LSU

4. Auburn

5. Tennessee

6. Alabama

7. Mississippi State

8. Ole Miss

9. Georgia

10. South Carolina

11. Arkansas

12. Texas A&M

13. Missouri

14. Vanderbilt

There wasn’t anything particularly out of the ordinary with how the league was picked and exact voting results weren’t made available so we don’t know exactly how far behind the Gators were though it’s likely that information will be given out at some point. Considering the expectations that have been put on the Gators nationally being picked second in the SEC could help keep the team grounded, or offer some motivation in the pair of games the Gators will play against the Wildcats.

League ranking wasn’t the only voting that took place as media members cast ballots on who they thought would win player of the year.

That vote went to none other than Kerry Blackshear Jr.

This is a great acknowledgement for Florida’s newest star and it shows just how respected the big man is not only around the league but around the country. If Blackshear Jr. does indeed play an SEC player of the year caliber season the Gators will be in great shape and there is no doubt this honor should have Gator fans excited.

It also should be noted that Andrew Nembhard received some player of the year votes as well, though once again the exact numbers weren’t made available. It’s nice to see he hasn’t been forgotten with Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Scottie Lewis getting a lot of the attention and it’s clear that those plugged into the SEC know Nembhard is poised for a big year.

The All-SEC team voting also went as follows:

First Team All-SEC

Kerry Blackshear – Florida

Anthony Edwards – Georgia

Ashton Hagans – Kentucky

Breein Tyree – Ole Miss

Reggie Perry – Mississippi State

Second Team All-SEC

Kira Lewis Jr. – Alabama

Isaiah Joe – Arkansas

Andrew Nembhard – Florida

Tyrese Maxey – Kentucky

EJ Montgomery – Kentucky

Skylar Mays – LSU

Lamonté Turner – Tennessee

It’s great to see a few Gators acknowledges in the voting and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Scottie Lewis, Tre Mann, Noah Locke, or Keyontae Johnson entered the mix by season’s end as well. And if you ask me, Andrew Nembhard will be on that first team as well.

These are all preseason projections and even though they don’t actually matter for anything it’s always interesting to see what the pulse of the league is and while people still don’t think the Gators can knock off Kentucky it’s good to see them getting some respect and it will be interesting to look back on these preseason rankings after the SEC season is done to see just how accurate or inaccurate these projections are.

Eric Fawcett
Eric is a basketball coach and writer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. His work has been found at NBA international properties, ESPN, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Lindy's and others. He loves zone defenses, the extra pass, and a 30 second shot clock. Growing up in Canada, an American channel showing SEC basketball games was his first exposure to Gator hoops, and he has been hooked ever since. You can follow him on Twitter at @ericfawcett_.