Check out this week's SEC basketball update as HawgBeat basketball analyst Jackson Collier ranks where each SEC coach stands with his respective fanbase:
Fans are Unhappy:
Kermit Davis - Ole Miss
Kermit Davis is one of the most experienced head coaches in the country. He landed his first head-coaching gig in 1988 to lead the Idaho Vandals, and after two successful seasons moved onto the Southwest Conference to head Texas A&M.
While Davis is entering his 25th year as a college head coach, he finds himself in an uncomfortable position in Oxford. His debut season was strong enough to earn him SEC coach of the Year honors after leading the Rebels to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years. That success was short-lived, however, and in the three years since the Rebels are a combined 44-48 (20-34) with two losing seasons.
The rebels lost some production from last year’s team, but between the last two recruiting classes and the transfer portal, Ole Miss should be in a better position this upcoming year. It’s safe to say this is a make or break year for Davis if he wants to stay in Oxford.
John Calipari - Kentucky
Recently there has been a growing faction of Kentucky fans who are ready for head coach John Calipari to move on. Despite this, Coach Cal is still recruiting at a high level and has a lifetime contract at the University of Kentucky.
To most any other program, what he’s accomplished, even recently, would be more than acceptable. It’s been a decade since Kentucky won their most recent national championship, and since then, the Wildcats have returned to the championship game and lost, missed the tournament twice, made two Final Fours, and made it to the Elite Eight twice.
Most recently, though, the NCAA Tournament was canceled in in 2020, the Wildcats missed the tournament the following year with their worst record since 1926-1927, and this past season were knocked out in the opening round to St. Peter’s.
Fans of one of the premiere programs in all of the sport have voiced their frustrations over the recent downward trend, and without any meaningful success this year, there could be even more unrest in Lexington.
