University of Tennessee Athletics

Women's Hoops Second In SEC Media Poll
October 19, 2021 | Women's Basketball
The Southeastern Conference women's basketball preseason media poll is out, and the Tennessee Lady Vols have been picked to finish second in the league in 2021-22 by a vote from a select panel of SEC and national media members.
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The projection is the highest by the Big Orange program since the 2015-16 squad was predicted to finish second in both the media and coaches' polls.
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UT, which finished third the past two seasons in SEC play, welcomes back nine total letterwinners and six players who were in the starting lineup a year ago. Third-year Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper and her staff also brought onboard the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year via the transfer portal and signed a freshman class ranked No. 9 by ProspectsNation.com and No. 15 by espnW.
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South Carolina, which returns all 12 members from last season's NCAA Final Four and SEC Tournament champion team, was picked to finish first. Falling in line after Tennessee were Texas A&M, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas and LSU in the top half, with Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Missouri, Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt rounding out the bottom half of the 14-team league.
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The Preseason All-SEC Team consisted of only five players. Those are the five returning members of last season's All-SEC First Team, with last year's SEC Player of the Year projected to repeat.
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PRESEASON MEDIA PREDICTIONS
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Order of Finish
1. South Carolina      Â
2. Tennessee               Â
3. Texas A&MÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
4. Kentucky
5. Georgia
6. Arkansas               Â
7. LSU
8. Ole Miss
9. Mississippi State Â
10. Alabama
11. Missouri
12. Florida
13. Auburn
14. Vanderbilt
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SEC Player of the Year
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
                      Â
All-SEC First Team
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Khayla Pointer, LSU
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
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The projection is the highest by the Big Orange program since the 2015-16 squad was predicted to finish second in both the media and coaches' polls.
Â
UT, which finished third the past two seasons in SEC play, welcomes back nine total letterwinners and six players who were in the starting lineup a year ago. Third-year Lady Vol head coach Kellie Harper and her staff also brought onboard the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year via the transfer portal and signed a freshman class ranked No. 9 by ProspectsNation.com and No. 15 by espnW.
Â
South Carolina, which returns all 12 members from last season's NCAA Final Four and SEC Tournament champion team, was picked to finish first. Falling in line after Tennessee were Texas A&M, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas and LSU in the top half, with Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama, Missouri, Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt rounding out the bottom half of the 14-team league.
Â
The Preseason All-SEC Team consisted of only five players. Those are the five returning members of last season's All-SEC First Team, with last year's SEC Player of the Year projected to repeat.
Â
PRESEASON MEDIA PREDICTIONS
Â
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina      Â
2. Tennessee               Â
3. Texas A&MÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
4. Kentucky
5. Georgia
6. Arkansas               Â
7. LSU
8. Ole Miss
9. Mississippi State Â
10. Alabama
11. Missouri
12. Florida
13. Auburn
14. Vanderbilt
Â
SEC Player of the Year
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
                      Â
All-SEC First Team
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Khayla Pointer, LSU
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Zia Cooke, South Carolina
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