BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The University of Tennessee was predicted to win the 2011 Southeastern Conference women”s basketball championship in voting Tuesday by a select panel of SEC and national media members.
Tennessee returns an intact squad after going 32-3 and winning the 2010 SEC regular season and tournament championships last year. They earned 15 of 17 first-place votes.
Tennessee received 202 points, with Kentucky (183), Vanderbilt (157), Georgia (150), LSU (147), and Auburn (120) rounding out the top half of the league. South Carolina (84), Arkansas (81), Alabama (65), and Ole Miss (47) were next, with Mississippi State (45) and Florida (45) tied for last.
Kentucky”s Victoria Dunlap was the overwhelming choice of the media for SEC Women”s Basketball Player of the Year with 13 votes, the remaining votes were for Tennessee”s Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen.
Dunlap, a senior forward, led Kentucky in almost every statistical category, averaging 18.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season. She was named 2010 SEC Player of the Year.
LSU”s LaSondra Barrett, Tennessee”s Angie Bjorklund and Shekinna Stricklen, and Vanderbilt”s Jence Rhoads also was selected to the second team.
Alabama”s Tierney Jenkins, Auburn”s Alli Smalley, Georgia”s Porsha Phillips, Kentucky”s A”dia Mathies, and Tennessee”s Kelley Cain were named to the second team.
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