UK picked as SEC preseason favorites

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The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team wins their third-straight SEC Title after the championship game against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday, March 12, 2017 in Nashville, Ky. Kentucky won the game 82-65 to win their third-straight SEC Championship.

Sports staff

For the 13th consecutive season, the UK men’s basketball team was predicted to win the SEC regular season championship by the media’s preseason poll.

The Cats have won the last three SEC regular season titles, and five total under head coach John Calipari. Finishing behind UK in the poll was No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Alabama and No. 5 Missouri.

Calipari will be chasing his sixth regular season title with a lot of talented players, including two who made the Preseason All-SEC Teams.

Freshman Hamidou Diallo was named to the preseason All-SEC First Team, while Kevin Knox was named to the second team.

Joining Diallo on the first team is Florida’s guard KeVaughn Allen, Georgia’s forward Yante Maten, Missouri’s forward Michael Porter, Jr. and Texas A&M’s forward Robert Williams. Diallo received at keast one vote for the SEC’s preseason Player of the Year choice, but it ended up in a three-way tie between Maten, Porter and Williams.

UK fans will get their first peak at this year’s squad at the Blue-White scrimmage, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20 in Rupp Arena at 7 p.m.