Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy’s Auburn Tigers will face an uphill battle to tip off the 2017-18 season -- from an expectations standpoint, at least.
Amid the 2017 SEC Women’s Basketball Media Days, the preseason media projections were unveiled, slating Coach Flo’s squad at a No. 10 finish in the conference.
Auburn finished eighth in the league last season with a 7-9 conference record and a 17-15 overall tally.
In the postseason, the Tigers were promptly bounced in the first rounds of both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments by Georgia and North Carolina State, respectively. The team’s berth in the big dance was the program’s second consecutive. Their 2015 appearance was the first for Auburn since 2009.
Graduating seniors from the 2016-17 NCAA Tournament team included scoring guard Brandy Montgomery, shifty defender Khady Dieng and all-around offensive juggernaut Katie Frerking.
Auburn reloads with junior Janiah McKay running the show on offense. Up front, the twin towers of Jessica and Jazmine Jones will look to hold down the paint.
Coach Flo’s unit finds themselves right beneath their arch rivals in Alabama (No. 9) and Georgia (No. 8). The defending SEC and national champion South Carolina Gamecocks unanimously won over the media with the conference’s top spot. The Gamecocks boast the last four SEC regular season crowns.
The season tips off when Auburn travels to Blacksburg, Virginia to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies on Nov. 13.
2017 SEC Women's Basketball Preseason Media Poll
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Missouri
4. Tennessee
5. Texas A&M
6. Kentucky
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Auburn
11. Vanderbilt
12. Florida
13. Ole Miss
14. Arkansas
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