One Underrated Factor in Kentucky's Decline is SEC Improvement

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 19: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at The Fieldhouse at Greensboro Coliseum on March 19, 2023 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)The SEC coaches in 2009-10: Anthony Grant, John Pelphrey, Jeff Lebo, Billy Donovan, Mark Fox, Trent Johnson, Rick Stansbury, Andy Kennedy, Darrin Horn, Bruce Pearl, and Kevin Stallings.

That is the group of coaches that John Calipari had to deal with when he became the University of Kentucky’s basketball coach in 2009. Of that group of coaches, Grant,…