Look, I’m from Kentucky. I cover football on this site, and I cover basketball for another one, and have written a couple of books centering around Kentucky basketball. I know the perception. The SEC is a football league, and when it comes to the roundball, it’s Kentucky and the Seven Dwarves. I’ve even said it myself. And two weeks ago, in Nashville, when I was covering the SEC basketball tournament, I cornered former Alabama coach Wimp Sanderson and former South Carolina coach Dave Odom and asked them both, if not in exactly so many words, “What’s wrong with the SEC?”

Both coaches had some interesting things to say, but both were also pretty emphatic that the SEC wasn’t so broken, that the league had taken an uptick over a year or two before, largely due to the quality of coaches. At the time, I listened, but I didn’t necessarily buy in. A couple of weeks later, it looks like the former coaches were right. Mike White and Frank Martin have certainly upped the league’s profile by picking up two Tournament wins each to allow Florida and South Carolina to join Kentucky in the Tournament’s Sweet 16.

And honestly, is SEC football so hot right now? Or is it Alabama and the Seven Dwarves? Hey, Kentucky football tied for second in the SEC East.

The thought occurs that while football has dominated over basketball in the SEC, much of this power was based on veteran, successful head coaches — many of whom are long gone. Meanwhile, the league’s quality of roundball coaches has improved. Let’s go school by school, and see which head coach has a higher profile — football or basketball.

West

Alabama: Football. Sorry Avery Johnson, you’re doing a good job, but this is a non-contest.

Arkansas: Draw. Bret Bielema hasn’t won anything of significance, but neither has Mike Anderson. Both coaches probably need an improved 2017, or either/both may be hitting the road.

Auburn: Football, but it’s closer than you think. The Gus Bus has hit its fair share of bumps since his near-championship in 2013. Meanwhile, Bruce Pearl is recruiting well and will probably get Auburn back to the NCAA Tournament in 2018.

LSU: This will be controversial, but I think it’s basketball. Will Wade is an up and coming young coach fresh from taking VCU to the NCAA Tournament for the last two seasons. Ed Orgeron has a career record of 22-29, including 7-23 in SEC play. Sure, the prognosis is brighter for football, but I’d bet that Wade will have LSU in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 before Orgeron gets them to an SEC title game.

Mississippi: Football, but again, closer than it was. Hugh Freeze is on the NCAA chopping block and will go at least back-to-back seasons without a bowl game. Andy Kennedy has won 234 games in Oxford, although just one in the NCAA Tournament. A year ago, this was Freeze by a mile. Now, it’s still Freeze, but it’s not as convincing as it was.

Mississippi State: Basketball. Sure, Dan Mullen is a great coach. But he hit his peak during a couple of glorious weeks at No. 1 with Dak Prescott. He’s not going to win the West in Starkville. Ben Howland, on the other hand, while he’s struggled in two seasons, is a coach who has been to three Final Fours, including an NCAA title game. He also took Pittsburgh to two Sweet 16s, and may well do the same at State.

Texas A&M: Draw. Kevin Sumlin had the Aggies on the national stage with Johnny Football, but Billy Kennedy took the team to the Sweet 16 in 2016. Both coaches were underwhelming in 2016-17, and much like Arkansas, the seats of both are warming up.

East

Florida: Basketball, by a nose. Mike White has led the Gators to at least the Sweet 16, and they have a puncher’s chance to win the region and make a Final Four appearance in his second year at the school. While Jim McElwain has won consecutive division titles, the Gators have been underwhelming  in the games that have counted. If Florida officials could keep one or the other, I think they’d keep White.

Georgia: Football. Kirby Smart hasn’t done it on the field yet — don’t give me junk about him winning at Alabama, because it’s like crediting Kentucky’s assistant coaches for winning with Calipari. But he does have buzz, he can recruit, and his players like him. Mark Fox hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game. He’s a good coach who has had bad luck, and finds himself on the hot seat accordingly.

Kentucky: Basketball. Sorry, Mark Stoops.

Missouri: Basketball, by a nose. Both programs were awful last season, but Cuonzo Martin does at least have some prior success (Sweet 16 at Tennessee) while Barry Odom has no head coaching success to speak of. Neither is one of the hottest coaches out there, but slight edge to the veteran.

South Carolina: Basketball. Frank Martin’s upset of Duke was probably the biggest basketball win in South Carolina history. The program was down, but Martin has increased the wins from 14 to 17 to 25 to this season, when they are sitting in the Sweet 16. Will Muschamp is a quality hire and may lift Carolina to similar heights in football, but at this point, Martin has the edge.

Tennessee: Basketball, by a nose. Rick Barnes is a respected veteran coach with two NCAA Elite Eight appearances on his resume. Butch Jones … well, he did win the championship of life. All kidding aside, before the season, it would be assumed that this would be even or Butch would surge ahead. He had a disappointing season, as did Barnes in basketball. Barnes probably has a slightly longer leash, and definitely has a more impressive history.

Vanderbilt: Football, by a nose. Bryce Drew got Vandy to the NCAA Tournament, but the Commodores lost there in the most mind-numbing way possible. Still, he’s a young coach who took Valparaiso to the Big Dance twice. But Derek Mason’s comeback to bowl eligibility is also impressive. Slight edge to Mason, at least for now.

Overall score? Five for football, seven for basketball, two draws.

So what do you say? Is football going to become a fall diversion for that renowned basketball league, the SEC?