Threads ahead

Vanderbilt Coach Jerry Stackhouse, who shared SEC Coach of the Year honors with Texas A&M’s Buzz Williams in voting by league coaches, can claim another honor just ahead of Williams.

Stackhouse, the former long-time NBA standout, is the hands-down winner of the SEC’s best-dressed award as he and Williams are the only suit-coat wearers in a league now filled with coaches sporting polos, pullovers and teamlogo wind suits. Stackhouse sports a variety of fashion colors and does not take off the coat very often as does Williams, who pairs his coat with a vest.

Stackhouse also has the league’s hottest team, as the Commodores enter league play having won eight of their last nine games since a 101-44 drubbing at Alabama.

Not even the league champion Crimson Tide is on as hot a streak as they’ve gone 7-2 in their last nine with losses at Tennessee (68-59) and at Texas A&M (67-61), with the latter coming on Saturday after they clinched sole ownership of the regular season title.

The Commodores’ only loss since Jan. 31 was an 8477 setback at LSU, which finished in last place. The stretch includes huge wins versus Tennessee (66-65) and at Kentucky (68-66), but Vanderbilt is still outside the NCAA Tournament bubble, listed as a “next four out” team by ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi.

Still, Stackhouse’s club has put together a huge season with an 11-7 SEC record and sixth-place finish, six spots higher than projected in preseason voting.

“I think our long view of what we envisioned for our program, what we envisioned for this season is starting to pay off and come to fruition for us,” Stackhouse said after Saturday’s 77-72 win over Mississippi State, which left the Commodores 12-5 at home. “And it’s coming at the right time.”