This guy can coach. Someone replied to me when I tweeted that “But he is not Ben Howland.” Davis isn’t Ben Howland. He took UCLA to three Final Fours. Davis was a coach at Middle Tennessee State back then in the Sun Belt Conference. He did however take his team to Los Angeles in 2011, beating a Howland-coached UCLA squad that won 19 games and went 11-7 in Pac-10. Didn’t just beat UCLA, mind-you. Beat the Bruins 20-20, 88-68. Another naysayer replied, “He’s been at Middle Tennessee for 16 years.” Kermit Davis is so great, why hasn’t someone else in the SEC bought him up long ago? SEC athletic directors are known for making mistakes. This is why many coaches make so much money not coaching. Here’s what I can tell you: Davis won eight of his 10 games against SEC-teams. He won at Ole Miss, at Vanderbilt (twice), at Tennessee. As you know, most of the SEC games were not held in Murfreesboro. Here’s the deal. Tom Izzo or Mike Krzyzewski weren’t going to accept the Ole Miss job. This brings us to Davis beating Izzo this Sunday two years ago. Remember? Remember? 15 seed in NCAA Tournament. Michigan State was No. 2 seed, ranked No. 2 in the AP college basketball poll. Middle won by nine in what many observers called the “biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history.” Izzo spoke during a post-game press conference. They were very well-coached and ran great stuff. They beat us.” Tell me. You’d be amazed at how many men can beat the Michigan State team and take Middle Tennessee State. The Blue Raiders defeated Minnesota in the first round last year to prove it wasn’t an accident. Hattiesburg native Tim Floyd hired Davis as an assistant at Idaho coach when Davis was only 24 years old. He laughs at the naysayers questioning whether Davis was a good hire for Ole Miss. Floyd stated Wednesday that it was a home run hire. They knocked it out the park. Ole Miss has beaten it.” Floyd stated that he hired Davis as a coach because he was “24 going on 44.” Floyd stated that he understood every aspect of the game. “Kermit understood all the components it takes to be a coach.” He understood the importance of the smallest details, probably because he was the son and daughter of a great coach. Some men are good at offense but not at defense. Some people are better at coaching defense than they are at offense. While some men can understand the differences, others are unable to communicate them to their players. Kermit understands it all.” Floyd hired a young Davis for his first D-I job. He then gave it to him. After Floyd moved to New Orleans, Davis finished 26-6 in Idaho for two consecutive seasons. They have coached each other in recent seasons with Floyd at UTEP, and Davis at MTSU. Both are part of Conference USA. Floyd stated, “His teams can be incredibly difficult to prepare for.” They disrupt you defensively. Offensively they don’t flip it over much. Every time I see them, the best photographer is the one taking the best shots. The second best is the one taking the most shots. And so on. They are all aware of their roles. Floyd stated that Kermit’s greatest strength is his ability to change as a coach. He has already done so at LSU under John Brady. They reached the Final Four. Davis won more than he lost against SEC team without having to recruit any SEC players. Bravo to him. Good for Ole Miss.