BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll is out, and the Tennessee Lady Vols have been picked to finish second in the league in 2022-23 by the leaders of the league’s programs. That followed an earlier vote of second by a panel of media members on Oct. 18.
The coaches also selected a Preseason All-SEC Team, and three UT players were named, including seniors Jordan Horston and Tamari Key on the first team and classmate Rickea Jackson on the second team. Previously, all three players were named first-team selections by the media.
Horston, 6-foot-2 guard, averaged 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in 23 starts last season before suffering a season-ending injury at Alabama on Feb. 17. She was a 2022 All-SEC First Team pick by the media and coaches, and was named All-America Honorable Mention by AP and the WBCA. Additionally, Horston made the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale Top 10, Wooden Late Season List and Naismith Midseason List, and was the South Point Shootout Most Outstanding Player. She is a member of the 2022-23 Ann Meyers Drysdale Preseason Watch List.
Key, a 6-foot-6 center, put up 10.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocks while starting all 34 contests as a junior. The school’s all-time record holder for blocked shots and triple-doubles in a career and season, she was named All-SEC Second Team by the media and coaches a year ago and is a two-time member of the SEC All-Defensive Team. Key also was named a 2022 Lisa Leslie Award Top-Five Finalist and was a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist. She is a member of the 2022-23 Lisa Leslie Award Preseason Watch List.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2 forward, averaged an SEC-leading 20.3 points as well as 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals while starting all 15 games she played before entering the transfer portal out of Mississippi State last January. Jackson has previously earned WBCA All-America Honorable Mention accolades twice and made the All-SEC Second Team, SEC All-Freshman Team and SEC All-Tournament Team in 2019-20. She is a member of the 2022-23 Cheryl Miller Award Preseason Watch List.
South Carolina tops the predicted order of finish by the coaches, with Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Florida rounding out the top half the league. Ole Miss, Georgia, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Missouri, Auburn and Vanderbilt round out the bottom half.
USC’s Aliyah Boston was voted as SEC Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year. LSU’s Angel Reese also received votes.
Joining Horston, Key, Boston and Reese on the All-SEC Preseason First Team are Brittany Davis, Alabama; Alexis Morris, LSU; Anastasia Hayes, Mississippi State; and Zia Cooke, South Carolina.
The Preseason All-SEC Second Team is comprised of Jackson, Makayla Daniels, Arkansas; Aicha Coulibaly, Auburn; Diamond Battles, Georgia; Madison Scott, Ole Miss; Jessika Carter, Mississippi State; Hayley Frank, Missouri; and Victaria Saxton, South Carolina..
Coaches cannot vote for their own team or players, and ties are not broken.
COACHES’ PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Tennessee
3. LSU
4. Alabama
T5. Arkansas
T5. Mississippi State
7. Florida
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. Kentucky
11. Texas A&M
12. Missouri
13. Auburn
14. Vanderbilt
Preseason SEC Player of the Year
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Preseason All-SEC First Team
Brittany Davis, Alabama
Alexis Morris, LSU
Angel Reese, LSU
Anastasia Hayes, Mississippi State
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Tamari Key, Tennessee
Preseason All-SEC Second Team
Makayla Daniels, Arkansas
Aicha Coulibaly, Auburn
Diamond Battles, Georgia
Madison Scott, Ole Miss
Jessika Carter, Mississippi State
Hayley Frank, Missouri
Victaria Saxton, South Carolina
Rickea Jackson, Tennessee
-UT Athletics
