The expectations for the Tennessee men's basketball team continue to grow less than a month before its season tips off.

The Vols, who were ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 on Monday, were picked to win the SEC by a vote of media members, the league announced Tuesday.

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Tennessee finished ahead of Texas A&M (2), Arkansas (3), Kentucky (4), Alabama (5), Auburn (6), Mississippi State (7), Florida (8), Missouri (9), Ole Miss (10), Vanderbilt (11), Georgia (12), LSU (13) and South Carolina (14) in the rankings.

It marks the fifth time Tennessee has been voted to win the conference since the poll's inception in 1989-90 and the second time in four years.

Tennessee fifth-year senior guard Santiago Vescovi was named to the Preseason First Team All-SEC while junior guard Zakai Zeigler earned Preseason Second Team All-SEC honors.

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The Vols were one of only four conference teams (Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky) to have multiple players selected on the all-conference teams.

Vescovi returns after averaging a team-high 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game last season, which ended in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Zeigler, who suffered a season-ending ACL tear last February, is expected to return to the line up following a strong sophomore campaign a year ago. He averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game.

Tennessee will play two exhibition games, beginning with Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan (3:30 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) on Oct. 29.

The Vols host Lenoir-Rhyne at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center at 6:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 31 before opening their season vs. Tennessee Tech at Food City Center at 6:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 6 on SEC Network Plus.

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