Oct. 28, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
The University of Kentucky women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference this season in a voting of the 12 league coaches, as announced by the league office Thursday.
Tennessee, which returns all five starters from a squad that went 32-3 and won both the 2010 SEC regular-season and tournament championships last year, was selected to finish first in the league followed by Kentucky. The Wildcats finished 28-8 overall, 11-5 in SEC play last season, and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Liberty, No. 24/25 Michigan State and No. 4/4 Nebraska. The Cats’ run to the Final Four ended with a loss to No. 12/12 Oklahoma. Kentucky returns three starters, including
, A’dia Mathies (Louisville, Ky.) and
(Lexington, Ky.), while adding one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.
Tennessee topped the order of finish with 121 points, with Kentucky (108), LSU (93), Georgia (88), Vanderbilt (88) and Auburn (59) rounding out the top half of the league. South Carolina (48), Alabama (43), Ole Miss (42), Florida (39), Arkansas (35) and Mississippi St. (28) completed the bottom half.
Dunlap, a 6-foot-1 forward from Nashville, Tenn., was picked to repeat as SEC Player of the Year by the league coaches, collecting eight of the 12 votes. She also was the preseason SEC Player of the Year selection by the media. Tennessee’s Shekinna Stricklen was picked second with two votes followed by Marah Strickland (South Carolina) and Jence Rhoads (Vanderbilt) with one vote each. Dunlap led Kentucky in almost every statistical category last season, averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and guiding the Wildcats to the NCAA Elite Eight. She was named 2010 SEC Player of the Year for her efforts.
Joining Dunlap on the All-SEC first team was Mathies, last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Alli Smalley (Auburn), Porsha Phillips (Georgia), LaSondra Barrett (LSU), Angie Bjorklund (Tennessee), Shekinna Stricklen (Tennessee), and Jence Rhoads (Vanderbilt).
Points were compiled on a 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Each coach voted for one team as an overall conference champion, an eight-player All-SEC Team and a player of the year.
Season and single-game tickets for UK Hoops’ exciting 15-game home schedule are available for purchase by visiting the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office in person, calling 1-800-928-2287 or going online at UKathletics.com.
The Wildcats’ lone exhibition game of the season is free and scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 7 against Kentucky Wesleyan at 2 p.m. ET. The season opener is Friday, Nov. 12 against Morehead State at 11 a.m. ET, marking the first Division I women’s basketball game of the 2010-11 season.
SCHOOL POINTS
1. Tennessee 121
2. Kentucky 108
3. LSU 93
T4. Georgia 88
T4. Vanderbilt 88
6. Auburn 59
7. South Carolina 48
8. Alabama 43
9. Ole Miss 42
10. Florida 39
11. Arkansas 35
12. Mississippi State 28
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Porsha Phillips, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
C’eira Ricketts, Arkansas
Jasmine James, Georgia
Katherine Graham, LSU
Marah Strickland, South Carolina
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Hannah Tuomi, Vanderbilt
PLAYER OF THE YEAR POINTS
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky 8
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
2
Marah Strickland, South Carolina
1
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt 1
