Mizzou basketball picked to finish in bottom half of SEC; Jontay Porter on second team
Missouri was picked to finish ninth in a loaded Southeastern Conference for the 2018-19 men’s basketball season. Tigers sophomore Jontay Porter was the Tigers’ lone selection on the preseason all-SEC media teams, landing on the second team.
Kentucky was picked to win the conference, with defending regular-season champion Tennessee picked second. The SEC returns a ton of talent this season with Porter, Arkansas sophomore Daniel Gafford and Kentucky wing P.J. Washington all passing on the NBA Draft to return to college.
The Wildcats have the best team on paper but will likely be challenged by Rick Barnes’ Volunteers, who return a pair of veterans in Grant Williams and Admiral Schofield. Both were big pieces to Tennessee’s impressive season after being picked to finish thirteenth. Williams was chosen as the SEC preseason player of the year.
Missouri will bring Porter and Blue Springs South product Kevin Puryear to SEC Media Days on Wednesday afternoon with coach Cuonzo Martin.
SEC preseason media teams and poll
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
Preseason media poll: 1. Kentucky, 2. Tennessee, 3. Auburn, 4. Mississippi State, 5. Florida, 6. LSU, 7. Alabama, 8. Vanderbilt, 9. Missouri, 10. Arkansas, 11. South Carolina, 12. Texas A&M, 13. Georgia, 14. Ole Miss
Alex Schiffer’s ballot
Order of finish: 1. Tennessee, 2. Kentucky, 3. Auburn, 4. LSU, 5. Florida, 6. Vanderbilt, 7. Mississippi State, 8. Missouri, 9. Alabama, 10. Arkansas, 11. South Carolina, 12. Texas A&M, 13. Ole Miss, 14. Georgia
All-SEC Team: Tremont Waters, LSU; Darius Garland, Vanderbilt; Grant Williams, Tennessee; Jontay Porter, Missouri; Daniel Gafford, Arkansas
SEC Player of the Year: Grant Williams-Tennessee
Reasoning behind my picks: I’ve learned to go with veteran teams in the polls and let the younger ones prove themselves, hence Tennessee over Kentucky. The Wildcats have the best team in the conference on paper but the Volunteers have more experience. Really teams four through 10 could shake out in any order. The league is that good. Texas A&M lost a lot to the NBA Draft and Georgia is going to take some time to get going under Tom Crean. As for the all-SEC teams, I’m stunned Jontay Porter did not make the first team. I picked him because there is not a player like him in the rest of the conference. Grant Williams is the best upperclassman in the conference (aside from Kentucky’s Reid Travis) and Arkansas’ Daniel Gafford is one of the nation’s best centers.
Alex Schiffer
Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 1:07 PM.