Mizzou Women’s Basketball was selected to finish fifth in the Southeastern Conference Tuesday by a select voting panel of both SEC and national media members as the league office announced its 2018-19 SEC Preseason Media Poll. In addition, senior Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) was one of seven players selected to the Preseason All-SEC team.

Mizzou was picked to finish fifth behind Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Each team picked ahead of the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, with South Carolina making the Elite Eight and Mississippi State ending the season as the runner-up.

Cunningham was one of three players to receive votes for the Preseason SEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year award, which ended up going to Mississippi State’s Teaira McCowan.

Cunningham averaged 18.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in her junior campaign, and was the only player in the nation to shoot better than 54 percent from the field (54.2 percent, 186-for-343), 45 percent from three (45.7 percent, 69-for-151) and 83 percent from the free throw line (83.6 percent, 133-for-159). She scored in double figures in 28 of 31 games she played in, and ranked fourth in the NCAA in three-point percentage as she earned AP All-America Honorable Mention honors for the second consecutive season.

As a team last season, Mizzou earned a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 1984-86. Head Coach Robin Pingeton’ssquad won 11 conference games for the second straight season, the first back-to-back seasons with 11 plus conference wins since 1983-84 and 1984-85. Mizzou is 13-3 at home against SEC opponents in the past two seasons.

PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. Mississippi State

2. South Carolina

3. Tennessee

4. Georgia

5. Mizzou

6. Texas A&M

7. Kentucky

8. Auburn

9. LSU

10. Alabama

11. Arkansas

12. Florida

13. Vanderbilt

14. Ole Miss

Player of the Year
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State

Preseason All-SEC

Calyia Robinson, Georgia

Anriel Howard, Mississippi State

Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State

Sophie Cunningham, Mizzou

Alexis Jennings, South Carolina

Rennia Davis, Tennessee

Chennedy Carter, Texas A&M