SEC women's basketball coaches predictions for 2021-22 champion, preseason player of year

South Carolina was picked to win the 2022 SEC Championship in a vote by the league’s women's basketball coaches, which was released Tuesday. 

The Gamecocks return all 12 players from last season’s Final Four and SEC Tournament champion team and have the most players voted to preseason All-SEC teams with three. Texas A&M, Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky complete the rest of the top five voted teams and Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Vanderbilt were voted in the bottom five. 

Kentucky guard Rhyne Howard was voted SEC Women’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, with South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston also receiving votes. 

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The rest of the All-SEC Preseason first team includes Florida’s Lavender Briggs, LSU’s Khayla Pointer, Ole Miss’ Shakira Austin, Mississippi State’s Rickea Jackson, South Carolina’s Zia Cooke and Tennessee’s Rae Burrell. The Gamecocks are the only team with two players on the first team. 

Georgia and Texas A&M make up almost half the second team with Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti for the Bulldogs and Jordan Nixon and Kayla Wells for the Aggies. Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee are also represented on the second team. 

Preseason Coaches' Predictions 

1. South Carolina 

2. Texas A&M 

3. Tennessee 

4. Georgia 

5. Kentucky 

6. Ole Miss 

7. Arkansas 

8. LSU 

9. Mississippi State 

10. Missouri 

11. Florida 

12. Alabama 

13. Auburn 

14. Vanderbilt 

Player of the Year 

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky 

First team All-SEC 

Lavender Briggs, Florida 

Rhyne Howard, Kentucky 

Khayla Pointer, LSU 

Shakira Austin, Ole Miss 

Rickea Jackson, Mississippi State 

Aliyah Boston, South Carolina 

Zia Cooke, South Carolina 

Rae Burrell, Tennessee 

Second team All-SEC 

Amber Ramirez, Arkansas 

Kiara Smith, Florida 

Que Morrison, Georgia 

Jenna Staiti, Georgia 

Aijha Blackwell, Missouri 

Destanni Henderson, South Carolina 

Tamari Key, Tennessee 

Jordan Nixon, Texas A&M 

Kayla Wells, Texas A&M