Speaking of withering pressure, basketball coach Kim Anderson faces an even greater challenge after going 19-44 in his first two seasons. Cleaning up after sloppy predecessor Frank Haith proved to be a greater task than anybody anticipated.

The Tigers embark on an Italian tour next month, playing exhibitions against club teams. Those games and the extra practices time will give the beleaguered Anderson a head start on the 2016-17 season.

He needs every minute of that preparation time. Another round of defections left him with one of the nation’s youngest teams, again, and the Tigers should face much tougher conference competition.

Vanderbilt’s hiring of Bryce Drew continued the SEC’s coaching upgrade. Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Ben Howland (Mississippi State), Avery Johnson (Alabama) and Bruce Pearl (Auburn) are elevating down programs and Michael White proved to be a strong replacement at Florida for Billy Donovan.

Oh, and John Calipari keeps saying no to NBA offers and yes to all those pro-caliber players eager to play on his Kentucky team.