Gamecocks Picked Fourth In SEC East

Downey makes all-conference first team

By: USC Athletics | WSPA-TV
Published: October 19, 2009

Birmingham, Ala. -- Kentucky was predicted to win the 2010 Southeastern Conference men's bas-
ketball championship in a voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members. Each SEC
school selected media members that cover their team and additional writers from across the nation
were selected by the conference office to form the 25-member voting panel.
The Wildcats are coming off a 22-14 season and an appearance in the National Invitation
Tournament. They earned 20 first-place votes, topping Mississippi State which earned three votes and
Tennessee which had two votes as SEC Champion. Kentucky returns three starters, including Patrick
Patterson, Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris while adding one of the top recruiting classes in the
nation.
Kentucky was the media's favorite to win the East with 148 total points (23 first-place votes), ahead
of second-place Tennessee's 117 points (two first-place votes). Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida and
Georgia round out the top six.
In the West, Mississippi State's 144 total points (22 first-place votes) were ahead of Ole Miss' 120
points (two first-place votes). Alabama was picked third with 84 points. LSU, Arkansas and Auburn
round out the top six in the West.
Kentucky junior Patrick Patterson was the choice of the media for SEC Men's Basketball Player of
the Year with 11 votes. Kentucky freshman John Wall (six votes), Mississippi State senior Jarvis Varnado
(three votes), South Carolina senior Devan Downey (three votes) and Tennessee senior Tyler Smith (two
votes) also received votes in the Player of the Year voting.
Patterson, Downey, Varnado and Smith were joined on the All-SEC First Team by Ole Miss sopho-
more Terrico White.
Wall led All-SEC Second Team honors and was joined by LSU's Tasmin Mitchell, Vanderbilt's A.J.
Ogilvy, Ole Miss' Chris Warren and Auburn's DeWayne Reed.
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Each media member also voted for
one team as an overall conference champion and a five-player All-SEC Team.
The 2009-10 SEC Media Preseason Poll tips off SEC Basketball Media Day, October 22 at the
Birmingham Marriott in Alabama. The 2009-10 season begins November 13, with conference play set
to begin January 9. The 2010 SEC Tournament will be held March 11-14 at the Sommet Center in
Nashville, Tenn.

Preseason Media Poll

(First-Place Votes in Parentheses; *-unanimous selection)

SEC Champion: Kentucky (20); Mississippi State (3); Tennessee (2)

Eastern Division Points Western Division Points
Kentucky (23) 148 Mississippi State (22) 144
Tennessee (2) 117 Ole Miss (2) 120
Vanderbilt 90 Alabama 84
South Carolina 77 LSU (1) 70
Florida 68 Arkansas 63
Georgia 25 Auburn 44

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Devan Downey, South Carolina G 5-9 175 Sr. Chester, S.C.
*Patrick Patterson, Kentucky F 6-9 235 Jr. Huntington, W.Va.
Tyler Smith, Tennessee G/F 6-7 215 Sr. Pulaski, Tenn.
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State F 6-9 230 Sr. Brownsville, Tenn.
Terrico White, Ole Miss G 6-5 211 So. Memphis, Tenn.

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU F 6-7 235 Sr. Denham Springs, La.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt C 6-11 250 Jr. Sydney, Australia
DeWayne Reed, Auburn G 6-1 175 Sr. Houston, Texas
John Wall, Kentucky G 6-4 195 Fr. Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss G 5-10 165 Jr. Orlando, Fla.