The SEC has become the national leader in men’s basketball. You can see why when the SEC tournament begins Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
There’s nothing mysterious about its rise to power. Its schools have hired better coaches. In fact, most SEC schools now have better basketball coaches than football coaches.
Here are my school-by-school, football vs. basketball comparisons:
Alabama: Basketball coach Nate Oats has won 70% of his game at Buffalo and Alabama. He also led the Tide to the Final Four in 2023-24. But Kalen DeBoer has won at an even higher rate and took his Washington team to the national championship game in 2023.
Advantage: Football.
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Arkansas: Basketball coach John Calipari is a future hall of famer who has taken three different programs – UMass, Memphis and Kentucky – to the Final Four. Sam Pittman, a longtime offensive line coach, is 30-31 in five seasons as the football coach and will enter the 2025 season on the hot seat.
Advantage: Basketball.
Auburn: Football coach Hugh Freeze is off to a slow start with the Tigers after winning at Liberty and Ole Miss. Bruce Pearl has won everywhere he has been, took the Tigers to their only Final Four in 2019 and has assembled a team good enough to win the national championship this season.
Advantage: Basketball.
Florida: Basketball coach Todd Golden has the Gators competing for a national title. Billy Napier is 19-19 in three seasons as Florida’s football coach.
Advantage: Basketball.
Georgia: Basketball coach Mike White has never had a losing season in 14 seasons (at three different schools). But Kirby Smart is the best coach in college football.
Advantage: Football.
Kentucky: Basketball coach Mark Pope averaged 22 wins per seasons in five seasons at BYU and has passed the 20-win mark in his first season with the Wildcats. Mark Stoops won 10 or more games three times while initially improving Kentucky football but has a losing record over the past five seasons.
Advantage: Basketball.
LSU: Football coach Brian Kelly has won 10 or more games 11 times combined at Cincinnati, Notre Dame and LSU. Basketball coach Matt McMahon hasn’t won more than 17 games in any of his three seasons with the Tigers.
Advantage: Football.
Mississippi State: Basketball coach Chris Jans has won 20 or more games in each of his three seasons with the Bulldogs after winning big at New Mexico State. Jeff Lebby went 2-10 in 2024, his first season as a head coach.
Advantage: Basketball.
Ole Miss: Football coach Lane Kiffin has had historic success with the Rebels, having won 10 or more games three times in five years. Basketball coach Chris Beard has won 20 or more games in each of his first two seasons at Ole Miss and has taken three different programs – Texas, Texas Tech and Little Rock – to the NCAA tournament. Texas Tech played for the national championship in 2019.
Advantage: Basketball.
Missouri: Basketball coach Dennis Gates has been up (25 wins in his first season), down (24 losses in his second) and up (the Tigers are NCAA tournament bound this season). Football coach Eliah Drinkwitz has been more consistent with five bowl bids in as many seasons.
Advantage: Football.
Oklahoma: Basketball coach Porter Moser is averaging 18 wins per year in four seasons at Oklahoma and led Loyola Chicago to the Final Four in 2018. Football coach Brent Venables has had two losing seasons in three years with the Sooners.
Advantage: Basketball.
South Carolina: Basketball coach Lamont Paris has had two losing seasons in three years with the Gamecocks while football coach Shane Beamer has had three winning seasons in four years.
Advantage: Football.
Tennessee: Josh Heupel has revived UT football with four consecutive winning seasons and qualified for the 12-team College Football Playoff in 2024. But Rick Barnes is a future basketball hall of famer who has taken four different programs to the NCAA tournament.
Advantage: Basketball.
Texas: Football coach Steve Sarkisian has led back-to-back teams to the playoffs. Basketball coach Rodney Terry led Texas to the Elite Eight two years ago but had a losing record in the SEC this season.
Advantage: Football.
Texas A&M: Football coach Mike Elko went 8-5 in his first season at Texas A&M after winning 16 games in two years at Duke. Basketball coach Buzz Williams has won more than 20 games in each of his past four seasons and made multiple NCAA tournaments at both Marquette and Virginia Tech.
Advantage: Basketball.
ADAMS: Why Tennessee basketball could benefit from quick SEC tournament exit
Vanderbilt: Football coach Clark Lea has lost 27 of 32 SEC games in four seasons. Basketball coach Mark Byington has the Commodores on the verge of the NCAA tournament in his first season and went 32-4 in his last season at James Madison.
Advantage: Basketball.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or [email protected]. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.
