"My SEC preseason player of the year": Insider names his All-SEC team and backs Kentucky star to be a dominant force in the upcoming season

College basketball insider Jon Rothstein backed Kentucky guard Otega Oweh as his pick for SEC Preseason Player of the Year. At the same time, he also revealed his All-SEC preseason team for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Speaking on CBS Sports’ "Inside College Basketball" on Monday, Rothstein ran through his SEC preseason power rankings and early season Awards, listing the top names to watch.

“This is my All-SEC preseason first team,” Rothstein said. “You’ve got to have Mark Mitchell from Missouri. He had a big year last season, helping them reach the NCAA Tournament, so, he’s on. Next is Otega Oweh from Kentucky, same thing, a solid performer.”

“Ja'Kobi Gillespie earns a spot for Tennessee, and that’s based on what he proved at Maryland. Then, we’ve got Tahaad Pettiford from Auburn and Boogie Fland from Florida. That’s my All-SEC preseason first team for now.”

Rothstein acknowledged that other players came close, particularly Alabama's Labaron Philon.

“You could definitely argue for other players. For example, Philon was really, really close to making it. Gillespie gets the nod over him because of his performance at Maryland.

“Just think about the level of guard play we’re going to see in the SEC this year. You saw three of them right there. Philon’s another. The SEC is going to have some really, really strong guards this season.” (Timestamp 30:48 - 31:37)

After naming his preseason first team, Rothstein picked Oweh as the SEC's top individual player heading into the new campaign.

“My SEC preseason player of the year is going to go to Otega Oweh from Kentucky,” he said (Timestamp 31:52 - 32:25). “He was a starter last year and a key piece on that team that went to the Sweet 16. Was a part of NCAA tournament wins. Was a big part of that win, obviously, for Kentucky in the SEC tournament.”

“You have to like, obviously, Oweh coming back with proven college experience, somebody that has evolved into one of the best players in the SEC.”

Last season, which was his first at Kentucky, Oweh averaged a career-best 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in 36 games. This performance earned him a spot on the second-team All-SEC.

Before the move, the guard had spent his freshman and sophomore years with the Oklahoma Sooners, averaging 4.8 ppg and 11.4 ppg, respectively.

Kentucky releases jersey numbers ahead of next season

Kentucky has officially released the jersey numbers for their 2025-26 basketball roster, featuring 14 players, four returnees and 10 newcomers.

The Wildcats welcomed six transfers and four freshmen, with numbers now confirmed.

The assignments include Otega Oweh (00), Denzel Aberdeen (1), Jasper Johnson (2), Kam Williams (3) and Andrija Jelavic (4) as Kentucky gears up for the new season under high expectations.

The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last season and will be hoping to improve next season.