The most important thing we learned from every coach on day one of SEC Tipoff '26

Day one of SEC Tipoff ’26 is in the books in Birmingham with eight of all 16 teams in the league taking center stage ahead of college basketball season. Among them? The Kentucky Wildcats, led by second-year coach Mark Pope.

Kentucky was joined by Arkansas, Alabama, Ole Miss, Texas, Vanderbilt, Georgia and South Carolina on day one, followed by Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida, Tennessee, LSU, Texas A&M, Missouri and Oklahoma on day two.

What did the SEC coaches on day one have to say here at the Grand Bohemian Hotel Mountain Brook? KSR picked out the most important talking point from all eight podium appearances.

Mark Pope sees No. 9 in everything he does

The second-year Kentucky coach has made it clear he understands the assignment of hanging banner No. 9 from the minute he arrived in Lexington. Now, the number continues to pop up everywhere he looks, breathing down his neck as he begins his second push for a title leading the Wildcats.

Starting the season ranked No. 9 overall in the first AP Poll? Oh, come on — we all thought the same thing.

“I was elated that we came in at No. 9. We see nine everywhere we go,” Pope said at the podium. “We think nine is in our future destiny and we’re chasing it hard. I was really thrilled with that.”

He’s got a competitive group capable of getting there, he believes. When asked about Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen coming off a national championship victory, Pope said everyone on the team shares his obsession with winning.

Whether it’s on the floor or playing board games away from it, these Cats are going to get after it.

“Just a pure competitive spirit, which our whole team is embodying right now. It’s just this lovely competitition and fearlessness about the way he competes — he’s willing to step on the floor and he’s not scared of taking an L, but he’s gonna fight to the death to get a win in everything. If we had him out there playing tiddlywinks or a game of Uno, I think our guys would lose their mind.

“We had a bunch of guys over to the house and we were playing BANK!, which is this nonsensical dice game. … It got so competitive that one of my assistant coaches broke my dining room chair. … It’s contagious with our guys.”

Nate Oats is confident defense wins championships in Tuscaloosa

Alabama is the only team in the country over the last two years to play in a Final Four and the Elite Eight, but Nate Oats is hungry to finish the job. What’s it going to take?

“I think it’s defense. Defensively we got to get better. We’ve known it. We’ve tried to focus on it. We’re on it now,” he said bluntly.

Offensive efficiency has always been there under Oats, but the Crimson Tide finished ranked No. 28 overall in defensive efficiency last season — just not good enough to close the gap. They’ve been there and can get back there.

“Defense, got to get back. The two years we were able to win the SEC regular season and tournament both, we were third in the country in defensive efficiency. We haven’t been anywhere close to third these last two years. If we could get our defense back in the top 10, top five in the country, in defensive efficiency, I think that’s the answer.”

It’s been close, but no cigar in Tuscaloosa up to this point. Oats plans on taking that cigar and lighting it up with defensive intensity in 2025-26.

“Until we get there, we’re just going to keep pushing, keep holding guys accountable, keep showing it, coaching it,” he said. “… Defensively if we can get our defense up to where it was those other two years, I think we got a shot.”

When will John Calipari call it a career?

Bruce Pearl was the latest coach to shock the world with a retirement decision, joining the likes of Tony Bennett and Jay Wright to do the same in recent years. Will Coach Cal be next? Don’t count on it — with one major caveat.

He’s sticking around unless things turn transactional. As long as college players have a passion for winning and coming together as a team, he’s got several more cycles in him, specifically to help his son, Brad, prepare for his own turn. The first sign of selfishness and checking boxes while cashing checks, he’s out.

“Well, I want to help 25 to 30 more families. The only way you do that is you’re transformational as a coach. You’re not transactional,” Calipari said. “If I become transactional, I’m going to pay you this to do this and that, then I won’t do this anymore. I don’t need to. … I’m not willing to do all this to stay in the profession. If you watched us in practice, you would say he’s still connected. I’ll know before anybody else that it’s transactional now.

“That’s why if someone put their name in the portal, I said, You’re not coming back because it’s not going to be transactional. If this is what you want, let’s go, let’s work together.”

Calipari added that he had a recent conversation with Houston coach Kelvin Sampson, who also has a son on his staff pushing toward his own dreams with a clipboard.

“We have to fix some of this stuff before we’re out for our own children.”

Welcome to the SEC, Sean Miller

Remember Sean Miller? He was a five-time conference champion at Arizona and three-time conference champion at Xavier with 487 career wins — among the best in the game at his other stops, now making the journey to the SEC at Texas. And he’s coming at the perfect time with the league at its peak, coming off a historic 14-team NCAA Tournament field a year ago.

If you’re gonna make a move, you might as well challenge yourself, right?

“Being a part of the SEC, that wasn’t really in my plans,” Miller said. “Life changes and circumstances happen. When given this opportunity, it was in my mind a once-in-a-lifetime one. … I think the first thing is just the historic season that just happened here. 14 of 16 teams in the tournament. If you just stop there, I don’t know if that’s ever happened before. If it has, arguably that’s the greatest accomplishment ever when you consider that many, 14 of 16.”

He’s at a football school, technically, but there is no question the SEC is invested in basketball in a way the sport has never seen. Texas swinging for the fences on Sean Miller is proof the Longhorns are equally invested individually.

“Watching the tournament unfold like I did as a part of the tournament, you watch seven advance to the Sweet 16, two more get to the Final Four, Florida obviously winning the national championship,” he said. “Then when you have the opportunity or you’re going to join that group, you know you’re against the best.

“Players, teams, programs, investment, the coaches obviously. I think you have to certainly be excited about the challenge.”

Lamont Paris comes full-circle with Meechie Johnson

Meechie Johnson started at Ohio State, then transferred to South Carolina after two years, then transferred to Ohio State after two years, then transferred to South Carolina after one year. With one final year of eligibility after five seasons under his belt, Lamont Paris never hesitated when the possibility of a reunion was discussed.

Sure, the two parties had to feel out the situation and make sure they were on the same page — like a couple breaking up and considering getting back together. When the former All-SEC guard made it clear he was serious, Paris was serious, too.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime situation probably for this to happen,” he said. “What went into the decision to bring Meechie back? There really wasn’t a decision. For me personally, there really wasn’t a decision. … We can’t imagine having brought a better piece into our team than Meechie Johnson. … He’s a leader, naturally. He’s a leader. It’s not forced. It’s authentic.”

Chris Beard believes depth is ‘first way’ to describe Ole Miss

The Rebels put together one of the best seasons in program history last season, going to the Sweet 16 under Chris Beard. That core is gone, bringing back just four players with 12 new additions in Oxford, but it doesn’t mean the third-year coach expects to take a step back.

With five double-digit scorers moving on, they’ve responded by replacing the top-end talent with depth — the team’s greatest strength.

“Those 16 players — I think like most teams we’re still trying to discover what our identity can be or needs to be, but I think it’s safe to say that depth could be a real ally of our team this year,” Beard said. “… Our 16-man roster, we literally have 14 guys in play. This is a good thing from a coaching standpoint in terms of competitiveness. Depth. If you’re going to win six games in three weekends, which is our goal, in late March and early April, you have to have depth in numbers to do that. …

“I would definitely say that depth is the first way I would describe this year’s team.”

Mike White wants Georgia to be more than tough

Georgia went to its first NCAA Tournament in a decade last season with an identity of toughness and physicality while making Stegeman Coliseum one of the most hostile venues in the SEC, winning a school-record 15 games at home last season.

It’s the direction Mike White was looking for when he took the job in Athens back in 2022, gaining traction with 20-plus-win seasons in back-to-back years.

“I’m proud of what we’re rebuilding at Georgia. … Highest seed in 20 years is what we try to sell in recruiting,” he said. “Feel like we’ve got a chance to be very good this year again. Proud about what we’ve accomplished in terms of being a basketball environment. Our administration has been incredible, allowing us to make those changes, and our fan base being open to that change and embracing it at this point.”

It won’t be the same brand of basketball this time around, though, adding more skill and athleticism to go with the brawn.

“I do think it’s going to be different. Our roster makeup is different in a bunch of different ways,” White continued. “Just from a defensive standpoint, we’re not as big, not as physical, but we’re a little bit quicker and faster.”

Mark Byington goes from selling insurance to making the NCAA Tournament at Vanderbilt

Did you know second-year coach Mark Byington once sold insurance before making his way to Vanderbilt? Well, the legend is probably a little better than the actual story, he says.

“I took a two-week class and got my insurance license,” Byington said. “My first day on the job, I quit during lunch. So I don’t have a long running history of selling insurance — it’s probably about an hour and a half.”

One way or another, he got into coaching, and he’s doing a pretty great job at it — Vandy’s 20 regular season wins in 2024-25 were the most by a first-year coach in school history and the Commodores went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016-17, despite being picked to finish last in the SEC. The plan is to run it back in 2025-26.

“I think everybody right now is full of hope. I’m the same way with this team. We had a good year one, and I know we see the expectations — this time a year ago, I was explaining to people what it’s like to be picked last in the league. This year, there’s new excitement,” he continued. “… The most important part of my team right now is the three returning players., Tyler Tanner, Tyler Nickel and Devin McGlockton. Having them back gives us a big step forward compared to where we were a year ago. We’re excited about all the challenges that come throughout the season.”