Texas men’s basketball picked second in SEC preseason poll

October 12, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Expectations are high for Texas men's basketball entering its second season under head coach Sean Miller, as the Longhorns were picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference preseason media poll released Monday.

Florida was selected as the conference favorite, followed by Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama to round out the top five.

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Junior center Matas Vokietaitis earned preseason All-SEC second-team honors, while junior forward David Punch was named to the third team.

Texas center Matas Vokietaitis (8) talks with head coach Sean Miller during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against BYU, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

Vokietaitis returns for his second season with the Longhorns after averaging 15.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. He started all 36 games, led Texas with 33 blocks and recorded six double-doubles.

Punch transferred to Texas after two seasons at TCU, where he averaged a team-high 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game last season. He also led the Horned Frogs with 66 blocks and helped TCU reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas opens the 2026-27 season Nov. 2 against Chicago State at Moody Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. on the SEC Network.

SEC preseason predicted order of finish

Florida
Texas
Arkansas
Tennessee
Alabama
Vanderbilt
Kentucky
Missouri
Texas A&M
Auburn
Georgia
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
LSU
Mississippi State
South Carolina

Florida's Thomas Haugh was selected as the preseason SEC Player of the Year.

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