The LSU Tiger men's basketball team was tabbed to finish third in the SEC this season from the media in their preseason rankings.   Tennessee was selected first with Kentucky in second ahead of LSU.

The Tigers return six players from last years 2019-2020 team that was unable to start the postseason and they will be lead by LSU sophomore forward Trendon Watford and junior guard Javonte Smart who were both selected to the media preseason All-SEC teams.

Watford is a first-team selection and received votes for the Player of the Year award, while Smart was one of the six selections for the second team preseason All-SEC.

More from the LSU school release:

Watford as a freshman started 30-of-31 games last season, averaging 31.5 minutes per game. He is the Tigers’ best returning scorer at 13.6 points per game and the team’s leading rebounder a year ago at 7.2 boards a game. Watford shot 48.9 percent from the floor overall with 18 three-point field goals.

Smart also started 30-of-31 games a year ago, averaging 34.2 minutes a game with a 12.5 points per game averaged. The Baton Rouge native posted a 3.5 rebounds per game mark and has 129 assists in the course of the season.

The 2020-21 campaign is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Nov. 25, when LSU takes part in the Golden Window Classic at Lincoln, Nebraska/ LSU will play games there on Nov. 25, 26 and 28 with LSU’s first home game in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center set for Dec. 6 against Louisiana Tech. Game times and attendance setup for those games will be announced in the days ahead.

SEC MEDIA PANEL SELECTIONS

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

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