This winter, the Southeastern Conference is expecting big things out of Madison Booker and Texas women's basketball.
Texas was picked to finish second in a SEC preseason poll that was released by the conference Monday. In a poll voted on by media members who cover the league, Texas was picked to finish behind perennial powerhouse South Carolina. The Longhorns were placed above LSU, Vanderbilt and Kentucky in the preseason poll.
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South Carolina has claimed at least a share of the SEC's regular season championship in each of the past five seasons. Texas, however, beat the Gamecocks in last season's SEC championship game.
Leading the Longhorns this season is Booker, a senior forward who has earned a first-team nod on the SEC's preseason honor roll. Booker is a three-time AP All-American who averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during her junior year. Two seasons ago, Booker was named the SEC Player of the Year.
On Monday, Booker was listed on the All-SEC preseason first team alongside Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, Kentucky's Clara Strack and LSU's Mikaylah Williams. Blakes was recognized as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.
Later this week, Booker will be joined by UT coach Vic Schaefer and Texas teammates Bryanna Preston and Breya Cunningham at the SEC Tipoff media event in Birmingham, Ala. The Longhorns are set to open their season on Nov. 4 with a home game against Fairleigh Dickinson.
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This article originally published at Texas women's basketball picked to finish second in SEC preseason poll.