No. 11 - Mike White - Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia did not realize how well Mark Fox did during his eight seasons in Athens. Three Fox teams won 20-plus games. They were the only 20-win seasons for the Bulldogs going back to the 2001-02 season. Now, Georgia defines SEC mediocrity, with a 6-12 SEC record and 16-15 overall.
No. 10 - Chris Beard - Ole Miss Rebels
To an extent, Chris Beard turned the Rebels around in his first season at Ole Miss. An overall 20-11 record appears solid, but the 13 wins notched at the start of the season came against what were at-best average teams. The 7-11 SEC record more accurately defines the Rebels.
There is no No. 9 or No. 8 in these rankings. Three coaches are ranked at No. 7. Results did not justify any separation between the three coaches.
No. 7 - Chris Jans - Mississippi State Bulldogs
In early February, the Bulldogs won five straight games. The winning streak was almost negated by losing their last four regular season games. At 19-12 and 8-10 in SEC play, the Bulldogs are a Big Dance bubble team.
No. 7 - Buzz Williams - Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies, at 9-9 in SEC play, also had a February five-game losing streak. Buzz has too much talent at guard for his team to only have an 18-13 record. The Aggies should be better but since beating Tennessee on Feb. 10, the Aggies have struggled, with only three wins and none in that time over a top SEC team.
No. 7 - Matt McMahon - LSU Bengal Tigers
LSU had a horrible 3-plus week run in late January to mid-February, losing six of seven games. Since then LSU has rallied to win five of seven games, taking their SEC record to 9-9 and 17-14 overall. The Bengal Tigers may have the best chance for an SEC Tournament upset.