It’s always funny to me how men’s basketball conference tournaments are the best thing in the world when your team wins them or the most insignificant things in the world when your team loses.

After Kerr Kriisa suffered an ankle injury for Arizona on Thursday in Las Vegas, I heard some Arizona fans saying if they lost the Pac-12 Tournament, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. I heard some Baylor fans saying the same thing after the Bears lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament on Thursday.

That’s some self-serving thinking. You’d better believe these tournaments mean a lot to players. There are trophies to be had. If you don’t want to win, you don’t belong on the court!

Here’s to a weekend full of more intense college basketball games before the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday!

Now, let’s dive into your questions for this week’s Mailbag:

Mike:

JT Daniels seems to be in the mix at Oregon State, West Virginia and Mizzou. Where do you think he should end up?

Well, I’m going to be a homer here and say Mizzou is the best fit. Playing for the Tigers would give him the opportunity to face Georgia again in 2022, and with 5-star WR Luther Burden joining the squad this fall, there is a big-play receiver Daniels can throw to.

Look, even as a big Mizzou homer, I can’t pretend like the Tigers are anything but a mediocre program right now. They finished 6-7 last year. So did West Virginia. Oregon State did the best of the trio, going 7-6.

But, the SEC sends more players to the NFL every year than any other conference. So, if Daniels wants to stay on the radar ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, heading to Mizzou makes sense. He’ll face several big-time opponents and won’t be relegated to Pac-12 After Dark. As fun as those games are, they don’t do a lot for a player’s draft stock.

Mizzou has plenty of quarterbacks on its 2022 roster, including Brady Cook, Tyler Macon and incoming 4-star freshman Sam Horn. But, Daniels would have the most experience of that bunch. I’d welcome him coming in and trying to win the starting job for Eli Drinkwitz’s squad.

Thomas:

Who should Georgia hire to replace Tom Crean?

Yeah, when you end up with the worst record in SEC history, it’s probably time to move on from your head coach. There are some legendary coaches out there who couldn’t survive the season Crean just had with the Bulldogs.

I know the name Jonas Hayes, Xavier’s associate head coach, is controversial in some circles. Some think he wouldn’t be in the conversation if he hadn’t played at Georgia. Well, I’ve got news for those folks – Tom Crean didn’t play at Georgia and you saw how that worked out.

I put together a list of my top 5 candidates for the Georgia job, and you’ll notice it’s full of younger guys from mid-major schools who should be hungry for a major-conference opportunity:

You might hear guys like Sean Miller mentioned for the Georgia job (along with many other jobs, as Miller should be a hot candidate), but I think a younger guy with plenty of hunger and energy on the recruiting trails is going to be a better fit for the Atlanta area. After all, hiring a big-name guy with no ties to the SEC just failed spectacularly for the Bulldogs.

Robert:

What’s more likely to end first – the Big Ten’s men’s basketball title drought or the West Coast’s title drought?

The Big Ten hasn’t won a title since the Michigan State Spartans did it back in 2000. A West Coast team hasn’t cut down the nets since Arizona did it in 1997. Those are both pretty lengthy droughts.

Obviously, at first look, the West Coast appears to have the better chance of snapping that streak this year. Arizona and Gonzaga are both playing like No. 1 seeds, despite Arizona losing Kerr Kriisa to an ankle injury on Thursday against Stanford.

But, it isn’t always a No. 1 seed that wins the NCAA Tournament. After all, that’s why they call it March Madness. I think Purdue’s offense makes it a dangerous team. Illinois is always an interesting squad. Wisconsin has one of the best players in the entire country in Johnny Davis, and that always plays in the postseason.

Still, though, give me the West Coast ending its drought before the Big Ten. I really think this could be the year Mark Few and Gonzaga go all the way.

@Dobbe8:

SEC Tournament in Tampa – yes or no?

Nah. I liked the idea of moving it around a bit, but there are only 3 cities that make sense for the SEC Basketball Tournaments (both men’s and women’s) – Nashville, Atlanta and New Orleans.

I thought St. Louis would be fun, as a Missouri guy, but it’s just not central enough to make it interesting. Tampa’s the same way, in my opinion – lovely city, solid arena, but just doesn’t scream “SEC city” to me.

The men’s tournament is going to be back in Nashville from 2023 to 2030, which I think is a good call by the league. That’s where it belongs.

Have a question for next week’s Mailbag? Tweet at us using #SDSMailbag or email me at ASpencer@SaturdayDownSouth.com.