Nov. 3, 2016
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Senior Brandy Montgomery was named to the preseason All-SEC second team, and the Auburn women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the conference by the league's coaches, the SEC office announced Thursday.
Montgomery, a senior from Port St. Lucie, Fla., was Auburn's leading scorer in 2015-16, averaging 14.0 points per game. She started all 33 games last season and averaged a team-high 32.4 minutes per game. She was also one of Auburn's top defensive players, averaging 1.8 steals per game in 2015-16. Montgomery enters her senior season with 1,218 career points and needs 297 points to enter the all-time top-10 at Auburn.
Predicted to finish seventh by regional and national media, the league's coaches slotted Auburn one spot higher in the preseason poll. It's the highest Auburn has been predicted to finish since the 2010-11 season, when they were also picked sixth. Auburn finished 8-8 in SEC play last season and tied for seventh with Tennessee and Missouri.
Auburn has received preseason national accolades as well. The Tigers are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches' preseason polls, and Auburn was slotted as a preseason top-25 team by Athlon and Lindy's preseason magazines, as well as the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
South Carolina was the consensus pick to repeat as SEC Champions by both the media and the coaches. Mississippi State was picked second and Tennessee was third. Florida earned the fourth spot in the coaches' picks, followed by Kentucky, Auburn and Missouri. Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Arkansas rounded out the top 10, followed by LSU, Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss.
Auburn will play 13 home games in 2016-17, beginning with the season-opener vs. Troy on Nov. 11. Season tickets remain on sale with reserved seats beginning at $60 per ticket, and general admission tickets are $50 each. Once again in 2016-17, men's basketball season ticket-holders can add a women's basketball general admission season ticket for just $25 per seat. In addition, all season ticket-holders receive an exclusive t-shirt for each ticket purchased.
Single-game tickets and four-game flex packages are also on sale. Fans can visit AUBtix.com or call the Auburn ticket office at 855-282-2010 for more information.
For the latest on Auburn women's basketball, follow @AuburnWBB on Twitter and Instagram, and visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/AUWBB.
2016-17 SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Tennessee
4. Florida
5. Kentucky
6. Auburn
7. Missouri
8. Texas A&M
9. Vanderbilt
10. Arkansas
11. LSU
12. Georgia
13. Alabama
14. Ole Miss
Player of the Year
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
First-Team All-SEC
Jessica Jackson, Arkansas
Ronni Williams, Florida
Makayla Epps, Kentucky
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
A'ja Wilson, South Carolina
Alaina Coates, South Carolina
Diamond DeShields, Tennessee
Second-Team All-SEC
Brandy Montgomery, Auburn
Elenna Christinaki, Florida
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Dominique Dillingham, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Marqu'es Webb, Vanderbilt