Birmingham, Ala. – Tennessee was predicted to win the 2021 Southeastern Conference men’s basketball championship in voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members.
The Volunteers are the overall preseason favorite for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
Florida junior forward Keyontae Johnson was the choice of the media for SEC Men’s Basketball Player of the Year. Alabama’s John Petty Jr., Kentucky’s Brandon Boston Jr. & Olivier Sarr, LSU’s Trendon Watford and Tennessee’s John Fulkerson & Yves Pons also received votes in the Player of the Year voting.
Petty, Johnson, Boston, Watford and Fulkerson were each All-SEC First Team selections. Sarr and Pons were second team picks along with LSU’s Javonte Smart, Missouri’s Dru Smith, South Carolina’s AJ Lawson and Texas A&M’s Savion Flagg were second team picks.
Points were compiled on a 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each media member also voted for a five-player All-SEC Team. Ties were not broken.
The 2020-21 campaign begins November 25, with conference play set to begin December 29. The 2021 SEC Tournament will be March 10-14 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
First Team All-SEC
John Petty Jr. – Alabama
Keyontae Johnson – Florida
Brandon Boston Jr. – Kentucky
Trendon Watford – LSU
John Fulkerson – Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Olivier Sarr – Kentucky
Javonte Smart – LSU
Dru Smith – Missouri
AJ Lawson – South Carolina
Yves Pons – Tennessee
Savion Flagg – Texas A&M
SEC Player of the Year
Keyontae Johnson – Florida
Preseason Media Poll
1. Tennessee
2. Kentucky
3. LSU
4. Florida
5. Alabama
6. Arkansas
7. Auburn
8. South Carolina
9. Ole Miss
10. Missouri
11. Texas A&M
12. Mississippi State
13. Georgia
14. Vanderbilt
(Release provided by the Southeastern Conference)