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Texas picked ninth in SEC preseason poll as SEC Tipoff starts on Tuesday

by: Keenan Womack10/14/25

What a glorious day for SEC basketball, and therefore the world.

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The best conference in collegiate hoops released its preseason all-conference teams and Player of the Year on Monday ahead of the start of SEC Tipoff this week. Texas head coach Sean Miller is set to speak to the media today. You can watch it around 4:50 p.m. on SEC Network+.

SEC Preseason Poll

  1. Florida
  2. Kentucky
  3. Tennessee
  4. Alabama
  5. Arkansas
  6. Auburn
  7. Missouri
  8. Ole Miss
  9. Texas
  10. Mississippi State
  11. Vanderbilt
  12. Oklahoma
  13. Texas A&M
  14. Georgia
  15. LSU
  16. South Carolina

Texas slides into the No. 9 spot in the preseason SEC poll, which may be ambitious when thinking about the roster’s flaws. Miller’s offense is predicated upon generating catch-and-shoot looks from deep, a skill that is in flux for the Longhorns coming into the 2025-26 season. They will play hard and defend adequately, but they may be lacking an “alpha” scorer as well as peripheral three-point threats to open up driving lanes.

Some of the teams behind Texas have valid arguments to be ranked higher than the Longhorns, two of which are bitter rivals. Oklahoma, who recently beat a highly touted Texas Tech squad in a “secret” scrimmage, is ranked 12th out 16 teams, which seems low for a group that retooled its roster in a very positive direction after last year’s disappointing campaign. Vanderbilt and Texas A&M are similarly dark horses to finish in the top half of the conference – the Aggies may have hired a new, less-proven coach than Texas did, but they added some serious firepower to their roster this offseason.

The top of the poll should come as no surprise – Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, and Auburn have become the usual suspects in SEC ball. Texas has several of these teams on the road as well, meaning Miller’s first year will not be a kind one if the team has not gelled by midseason.

A reminder of the Texas conference schedule:

  • January 3 – vs. Mississippi State
  • January 6/7 – at Tennessee
  • January 10 – at Alabama
  • January 13 – vs. Vanderbilt
  • January 17 – vs. Texas A&M
  • January 20 – at Kentucky
  • January 24 – vs. Georgia
  • January 27 – at Auburn
  • January 31 – at Oklahoma
  • February 3 – vs. South Carolina
  • February 7 – vs. Ole Miss
  • February 14 – at Missouri
  • February 17/18 – vs. LSU
  • February 21 – at Georgia
  • February 25 – vs. Florida
  • February 28 – vs. Texas A&M
  • March 3/4 – at Arkansas
  • March 7 – vs. Oklahoma

Texas’ upside could result in a higher finish than No. 9 in the conference, but likely, Miller’s first season will feature a middle-of-the-pack squad given their limitations from a shooting perspective. As previously mentioned, they will play with pace and defend well, but the lack of a defined shooting role could be a serious problem when playing elite teams like Florida and Kentucky.

However, if they are able to steal a couple of games on the road, they could have even more momentum rolling into 2026, where Miller will have had a cycle of recruiting to build a roster to run his system to perfection.

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Something to note is that no Texas Longhorn made any of the three preseason SEC teams. The only player that would have had a shot to make the roster would have been combo forward Dailyn Swain, but considering the amount of talent in the conference, it is not a surprise that he will have to earn those honors on the court. This Texas team will not be handed anything before the season starts.

How to watch Sean Miller at SEC Basketball Tip-Off

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