Morning Coffee: The once-dormant SEC might be the strongest league in college basketball this year

In early 2016, the Southeastern Conference named Mike Tranghese, former Big East commissioner, as its new "special advisor to the commissioner for men's basketball" in the SEC.

"We are not meeting our own expectations (in men's basketball)," SEC commish Greg Sankey said in announcing the hire, which went largely unnoticed during a season where the SEC landed only three teams in the 2016 NCAA Tournament, making the third time in four seasons that was the case.

Changes, evidently, were in the works. With Tranghese on board and meeting with league administrators and basketball coaches, Sankey later surmised, “We’ve talked a lot about scheduling, but college basketball is not just about scheduling. It’s about recruiting. It’s about how we think about our officiating programs. It’s about how we communicate with our coaches.”

Nearly two years later, the SEC hasn't just regained a pulse in men's hoops. It might just the strongest conference in the country come NCAA tourney time.

More headlines

►Jairus Brents nears college choice, has three official visits planned

►Louisville snaps losing streak at Notre Dame with double OT win

►Takeaways from UK basketball's bizarre loss at South Carolina

After getting five teams into the NCAA Tournament in 2017, the SEC is currently projected to get EIGHT into the field in 2018. That's according to the latest mock bracket from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Only the ACC – with nine teams – had more, and a check of Wednesday's RPI ratings shows how easily the SEC could catch the relatively top-heavy ACC:

ACC

Duke 1

North Carolina 2

Virginia 3

Clemson 9

Louisville 17

Miami 25

Syracuse 35

Florida State 45

Notre Dame 57

Boston College 64

NC State 75

Virginia Tech 79

SEC

Auburn 6

Tennessee 12

Kentucky 14

Arkansas 19

Texas A&M 34

Missouri 36

Alabama 38

Florida 43

Georgia 44

South Carolina 47

Miss State 71

LSU 78

It's obviously unwise to pin too much importance to RPI ratings in mid-January, but that's 10 SEC teams in the top 50 compared to eight for the ACC. And the overall strength of the SEC will continue to be a rising tide for all boats, much like the ACC tends to enjoy in most seasons.

No matter how it shakes out in March, the SEC is getting results.

Sankey deserves credit for noticing and addressing a problem with men's basketball and taking steps to fix it quickly in what is still viewed primarily as a football league.

Social Hour

What We're Reading

► In a column that has generated quite a bit of discussion: UK assistant coach Kenny Payne should not be Louisville's next coach, argues Fletcher Page.

► Meanwhile, Louisville's team is improving under David Padgett, with Tuesday's overtime win at Notre Dame the latest example.

► Referees are apparently still on the bad side of Kentucky fans. This time, it's a football official reportedly receiving threats.

► Just a horrific story this week at Washington State, where sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilinski was found dead in his apartment in an apparent suicide, according to local police.

► Top basketball recruit Zion Williamson is planning to announce his college decision at 8 p.m. Saturday. Or as it were ... 15 minutes before tipoff of the 8:15 Kentucky-Florida game in Lexington.

► And Spalding U. has renamed a historic on-campus building in honor of Muhammad Ali.

For The Road

So this is interesting ...

Scott Stanfield, a former police officer, is quitting as the basketball coach at a high school in Minnesota.

Why? The parents of players on his team.

Said Stanfield, according to the Brainerd Dispatch:

"It was time to re-evaluate what we're doing as a school, maybe as a staff, and maybe as a parental community. We're not on the same page as far as what we want our kids to get out of the experience. A lot of times with high school sports, we're running two different roads with the AAU ball and the school ball. Unfortunately, one side wants things done one way and the other wants it the correct way, which is about educating our kids for life beyond a sport. That's what we've tried to do."

Stanfield did say that "the vast majority of parents are very supportive," but in his view, "If this can help bring some attention to the fact that something needs to change, then it's worth it."

Gentry Estes: 502-582-4205; gestes@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Gentry_Estes. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/gentrye