Other than Kentucky, what is the best men’s hoops coaching job in the SEC?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Anonymous coaches ranked: 1 Kentucky; 2 Texas; 3 Arkansas; 4 Tennessee; 5 Florida.
- Writer contends Florida should be No. 2 in SEC jobs based on 21st-century results.
- Stats: Kentucky leads many categories; Florida leads in Final Fours and NCAA titles.
A recent anonymous survey of SEC coaches by “The Field of 68” ranked the best Southeastern Conference men’s basketball coaching jobs from first to worst. The Big Blue Nation will be gratified to know that Kentucky got every first-place vote.
It was the rest of the top five where the anonymous coaches made a botch of it.
According to the poll, the SEC’s top five men’s hoops coaching jobs are, in order, 1. Kentucky; 2. Texas; 3. Arkansas; 4. Tennessee; 5. Florida.
It says here that those are the top five SEC coaching jobs, but the order is out of whack.
At this point, it should be self-evident that Florida is the best men’s basketball coaching job in the SEC other than UK. Based solely on 21st Century results, the Gators are nipping on Kentucky’s heels for the mantle of “best Southeastern Conference men’s hoops program since 2000.”
Three different coaches — Lon Kruger (1994), Billy Donovan (2000, 2006, 2007 and 2014) and Todd Golden (2025) — have now taken Florida to a Final Four in modern times. Donovan (2006 and 2007) and Golden (last season) have won national championships.
Yet the anonymous coaches are telling us that a program that has won three NCAA titles since 2006 rates as the fifth-best coaching job the SEC.
I get the fascination with Texas. As an athletics department, the Longhorns have more resources than Nvidia. No one has to remind Kentucky fans that, as a state, Texas is pumping out an impressive array of basketball talent.
During UK’s John Calipari coaching era (2009 through 2024), the Lone Star State sent Julius Randle (Dallas), Aaron and Andrew Harrison (Richmond), DeAaron Fox (Katy), P.J. Washington (Frisco), Jarred Vanderbilt (Missouri City), Tyrese Maxey (Garland), and Cason Wallace (Richardson) north to rock Kentucky blue.
All Sean Miller or some future Texas head man has to do to make the Longhorns a perennial national power is to “control” the home state in recruiting.
Alas, that has proven far easier said than done for Texas basketball coaches. Historically, the Longhorns have made only three Final Fours, and two of those came in 1943 and 1947 (the other in 2003).
Arkansas matches Florida with six all-time Final Fours. Four different coaches — Glen Rose (1941), Eugene Lambert (1945), Eddie Sutton (1978) and Nolan Richardson (1990, 1994, 1995) — have taken the Razorbacks to the national semifinals. Led by Corliss Williamson and Scotty Thurman, Arkansas won it all in 1994.
As UK saw up close two Saturdays ago while playing (and winning) in front of a raucous Bud Walton Arena crowd of 19,200, the Arkansas fan base is hoops-activated.
Unlike Florida and Texas, however, Arkansas (population of some 3.1 million) joins Kentucky (some 4.6 million) in being the flagship university of a smallish state. That means the Razorbacks, like UK, have to recruit nationally to sustain men’s hoops success.
As the Big Blue Nation relishes in reminding Tennessee fans, UT has never sent a men’s basketball team to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Current Volunteers coach Rick Barnes has been knocking on that door, having won a combined eight NCAA tourney games in the previous three seasons, including trips to the round of eight in 2024 and 2025.
Basketball interest in the state of Tennessee is high. Nationwide, there are five men’s college teams currently averaging more than 18,000 fans per home game, and UT (18,915) is one, joining Kentucky (19,678), North Carolina (19,011), Arkansas (18,681) and BYU (18,066).
Put it all together, and the top five men’s basketball coaching jobs in the SEC should be ranked 1. Kentucky; 2. Florida; 3. Arkansas; 4. Texas; 5. Tennessee.
Kentucky vs. Florida
With eight NCAA championships, 17 Final Four trips, 49 SEC regular season titles and 31 SEC Tournament championships, Kentucky’s historic standing as the Southeastern Conference kingpin is unassailable.
However, if one just wants to compare the 21st Century, Florida is at least in the argument with UK as the SEC’s top dog.
Going into Saturday’s matchup between the No. 25 Wildcats (17-7, 8-3 SEC) and the No. 14 Gators (17-6, 8-2 SEC) that will be for the Southeastern Conference lead, the comparison between Kentucky and Florida in the current century stands:
▪ Overall records: Starting with the 1999-2000 season through games of this past weekend, Kentucky is 691-239, Florida is 654-273.
▪ Winning percentage: Kentucky 74.4%, Florida 70.5%.
▪ Head-to-head matchups since 1999-2000 season: Kentucky 37 wins, Florida 20.
▪ Number of SEC regular-season titles: Kentucky 9, Florida 6.
▪ Number of SEC Tournament championships: Kentucky 9, Florida 5.
▪ Number of NCAA Tournament appearances starting in 2000: Kentucky 22, Florida 19.
▪ Number of NCAA Tournament round-of-16 trips: Kentucky 13, Florida 9.
▪ Number of NCAA Tournament round-of-eight trips: Florida 9, Kentucky 9.
▪ Number of NCAA Tournament Final Four trips: Florida 5, Kentucky 4.
▪ Number of NCAA Tournament championships: Florida 3, Kentucky 1.
▪ NCAA Tournament record since 2000: Kentucky 48-21, Florida 45-16.
▪ NCAA Tournament winning percentage since 2000: Florida 70.3%, Kentucky 69.6%.
Bottom line: UK is still the best SEC men’s hoops coaching job. However, anonymous coaches not withstanding, Florida is a lot closer to No. 1 than it is to No. 5.
