AUBURN, Ala.—Auburn sophomore Tahaad Pettiford has been named to the Southeastern Conference men’s basketball coaches’ preseason All-SEC first team, the league office announced Thursday.
Pettiford was named to the NABC Division I Player of the Year watch list today and was on the preseason first team All-SEC team by a vote of league media at SEC Media Days earlier this month.
The Jersey City, N.J., product was a SEC All-Freshman team member last season after averaging 11.6 points while dishing out 113 assists, the fourth most in school history by a freshman. Pettiford was also named to the NCAA South Regional All-Tournament team while helping the Tigers to the Final Four in San Antonio.
The Tigers will open regular season action on November 3 at 7 p.m. CT versus Bethune-Cookman at Neville Arena. SEC play is set to begin January 3 with the 2026 SEC Tournament will be March 11-15 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
A list of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Coaches Preseason All-SEC teams follows:
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
- Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama
- Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn
- Alex Condon, Florida
- Otega Oweh, Kentucky
- Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
- Boogie Fland, Florida
- Malik Dia, Ole Miss
- Mark Mitchell, Missouri
- Nate Ament, Tennessee
- Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee
THIRD TEAM ALL-SEC
- Aden Holloway, Alabama
- Darius Acuff Jr, Arkansas
- Karter Knox, Arkansas
- D.J. Wagner, Arkansas
- Thomas Haugh, Florida
SEC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
- Otega Oweh (Kentucky)