Kentucky, Florida rank in Top 10 of preseason USA TODAY poll, Alabama #25

Three teams from the Southeastern Conference will start the 2017 college basketball season in the Top 25. The preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll was released on Thursday, and sported a trio of teams from your favorite conference.

The Kentucky Wildcats lead the pack in the SEC to no surprise. The Wildcats came in at No. 4 in the first set of rankings this season. This has become commonplace for the folks in Lexington, as it marks the eighth straight season that UK is in the Top 10 to start the season.

Meanwhile, the Florida Gators are back in the Top 10 to start the year. The Gators, who made an Elite Eight appearance last year, start off as the 8th-ranked team in the country. It’s the sixth time since 2010 that they’ve started the year ranked in the Coaches Poll. It’s also the fifth time that they’ve been in the Top 10 to start the season.

Finally, the Alabama Crimson Tide are ranked 25th to start the season. For the folks in Tuscaloosa, this isn’t commonplace as much as it is in Lexington and Gainesville. It’s been a while since perception has been this high for ‘Bama basketball. And for good reason, as Collin Sexton is in the fold. The last time the Tide were ranked to start the year was 2011, when they began the campaign ranked 17th in the nation.

Despite housing a probable Top 3 pick in next year’s NBA Draft, the Missouri Tigers are on the outside looking in. The Tigers received the 29th-most votes in the preseason poll. They aren’t the only team from the SEC with a probable lottery pick on the outside looking in, either. Robert Williams and the Texas A&M Aggies begin the year just missing the cut. The Aggies received the 26th-most votes, falling just six tallies shy of the TIde.

Other teams from the SEC that garnered votes included the Georgia Bulldogs, Arkansas Razorbacks and South Carolina Gamecocks.