Auburn picked seventh in preseason basketball media poll

Auburn lost all six top producers from last year’s team that finished 25-6 on the season.

Auburn and Bruce Pearl aren’t getting a lot of respect from the media regarding their shot at winning the SEC championship for the second time in three years.

On Thursday, the preseason media poll was released and the Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the SEC this season. Tennessee are the favorites to win the title.

The Tigers lost all six top producers from last year’s team that went 25-6 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five-star point guard Sharife Cooper and 4-star power forward J.T. Thor should make immediate contributions for Pearl’s team while Tyrell Jones, Babatunde Akingbola, Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams return with some playing time from the previous season.

Here is the complete media poll:

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

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