BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Texas A&M junior guard Wade Taylor IV was tabbed as the preseason SEC Player of the Year in voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members, the league office announced on Tuesday. Â
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It marked the first time that a Texas A&M player has been tabbed as the preseason SEC Player of the Year. Taylor IV was the Aggies' first preseason All-SEC selection since Robert Williams in 2017-18. Also receiving votes for SEC Player of the Year were Alabama's Grant Nelson, Arkansas's Trevon Brazile, Auburn's Johni Broome, Mississippi State's Tolu Smith and Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi.
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Taylor IV, from Dallas, Texas, is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in 2022-23 that saw him earn first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and by vote of the league coaches. He was also a third-team All-American by Stadium.com's basketball insider, Jeff Goodman.
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Last season, Taylor IV was one of just three NCAA DI players with 500+ points, 125+ assists and 50+ steals while making 85% or better on free throw attempts. He averaged 16.5 points, which ranked No. 3 in the SEC for the full season, while leading the SEC in free throws made with 168 and free throw percentage with an 87.5% success rate at the line. Additionally, Taylor ranked fourth in assists (136) and fifth in steals (60). He scored a career-high 28 points in the Aggies' 67-61 win over No. 2 Alabama on March 4 and had 12 games with 20 or more points.
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Additionally, the No. 15-ranked Aggies were predicted to place second in the team standings by the media, which was the team's highest preseason predicted finish since joining the SEC in 2012-13 (previous high was third in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
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Preseason Media Poll
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SEC Player of the Year
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First Team All-SEC
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Second Team All-SEC
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Tennessee
2. Texas A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Kentucky
5. Alabama
6. Auburn
7. Mississippi State
8. Florida
9. Missouri
10. Ole Miss
11. Vanderbilt
12. Georgia
13. LSU
14. South Carolina
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It marked the first time that a Texas A&M player has been tabbed as the preseason SEC Player of the Year. Taylor IV was the Aggies' first preseason All-SEC selection since Robert Williams in 2017-18. Also receiving votes for SEC Player of the Year were Alabama's Grant Nelson, Arkansas's Trevon Brazile, Auburn's Johni Broome, Mississippi State's Tolu Smith and Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi.
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Taylor IV, from Dallas, Texas, is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign in 2022-23 that saw him earn first-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and by vote of the league coaches. He was also a third-team All-American by Stadium.com's basketball insider, Jeff Goodman.
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Last season, Taylor IV was one of just three NCAA DI players with 500+ points, 125+ assists and 50+ steals while making 85% or better on free throw attempts. He averaged 16.5 points, which ranked No. 3 in the SEC for the full season, while leading the SEC in free throws made with 168 and free throw percentage with an 87.5% success rate at the line. Additionally, Taylor ranked fourth in assists (136) and fifth in steals (60). He scored a career-high 28 points in the Aggies' 67-61 win over No. 2 Alabama on March 4 and had 12 games with 20 or more points.
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Additionally, the No. 15-ranked Aggies were predicted to place second in the team standings by the media, which was the team's highest preseason predicted finish since joining the SEC in 2012-13 (previous high was third in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
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Preseason Media Poll
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SEC Player of the Year
| Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M | G | Jr. | 6-0 | 175 | Dallas, Texas |
First Team All-SEC
| Grant Nelson, Alabama | F | Sr. | 6-11 | 230 | Devils Lake, N.D. |
| Trevon Brazile, Arkansas | F | So. | 6-10 | 220 | Springfield, Mo. |
| Johni Broome, Auburn | F | Jr. | 6-10 | 240 | Plant City, Fla. |
| Justin Edwards, Kentucky | G | Fr. | 6-8 | 203 | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Tolu Smith, Mississippi State | F | Gr. | 6-11 | 245 | Bay St. Louis, Miss. |
| Santiago Vescovi, Tennessee | G | 5th Yr. | 6-3 | 192 | Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Wade Taylor IV, Texas A&M | G | Jr. | 6-0 | 175 | Dallas, Texas |
Second Team All-SEC
| Mark Sears, Alabama | G | Sr. | 6-1 | 185 | Muscle Shoals, Ala. |
| Davonte Davis, Arkansas | G | Sr. | 6-4 | 185 | Jacksonville, Ark. |
| Riley Kugel, Florida | Â G | So. | 6-5 | 207 | Orlando, Fla. |
| Antonio Reeves, Kentucky | G | 5th Yr. | 6-5 | 205 | Chicago, Ill. |
| Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee | G | Jr. | 5-9 | 171 | Long Island, N.Y. |
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Tennessee
2. Texas A&M
3. Arkansas
4. Kentucky
5. Alabama
6. Auburn
7. Mississippi State
8. Florida
9. Missouri
10. Ole Miss
11. Vanderbilt
12. Georgia
13. LSU
14. South Carolina