NASHVILLE -- Nobody at the SEC men's basketball tournament felt any more chipper Thursday than Mike Hamilton.

At this event in Atlanta last year, nobody in the Georgia Dome carried a heavier burden than Mike Hamilton.

"I was out of my mind last year, for obvious reasons,'' Hamilton said Thursday between games.

"What a difference a year makes.''

A year ago, Hamilton was agonizing over the biggest decision of his young tenure as Tennessee's athletic director -- to retain his basketball coach, Buzz Peterson, or to let him go.

Evaluating, weighing to the end, he watched the Vols get past Arkansas on opening night, only to get hammered by Kentucky in the quarterfinals.

"Literally, when I left the arena, I still didn't know for certain what I was going to do,'' Hamilton recalled.

"I was really consumed by the decision at that point, as to how things were going to play out and what the right thing for Tennessee basketball was.''

As a multitude of factors battled for purchase in his mind, two rather significant ones prevailed:

One, that he'd like to come to the tournament feeling like UT had a chance to win.

Two, that when he surveyed the crowd, he'd like to see more than a meager sprinkle of Tennessee orange.

As tough a call as it was, Hamilton let Peterson go. An easier call was hiring Bruce Pearl.

What a difference a year makes, indeed.

Today at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, the Vols will take the court with a chance to win -- one game, two games, the whole ball of wax.

And there will be more than a sprinkle of orange in the stands.

The Pearl-fueled rebirth of Tennessee basketball hardly needs to be recounted again. Let's just say Hamilton can walk around the arena today like an Olympic athlete who came home with a gold medal.

In hindsight, he obviously made a solid call, both on the need to make a change and on hiring Pearl.

The pressure is off. He can shake hands, smile and enjoy the basketball.

Not so, some of his colleagues.

Rod Barnes coached his last game at Ole Miss on Thursday. Unlike Peterson in Atlanta last year, Barnes knew it. Ole Miss AD Pete Boone made the call two weeks ago.

Barnes almost prolonged the inevitable. The Rebels were tied with Kentucky, 46-46, with 6:34 to play, but succumbed, 71-57.

With 29 seconds left, Barnes emptied his bench. Each player coming off the court stopped to give a sweaty embrace.

Like Peterson, Barnes is a good man. The kind you'd want to turn your teenage son over to for four years. The kind it's painful to fire.

It's a tough business. In each of the past six seasons, at least one SEC school has pulled the plug on its coach.

Five years ago, South Carolina brought in Dave Odom. With Barnes gone, Odom's seat becomes the warmest in the league.

Five years have produced one NCAA tournament loss, an NIT title and declining crowds in a sparkling new arena.

Four years ago, Arkansas brought in Stan Heath. Heath probably saved his job this season with a strong finish that positioned the Razorbacks for their first NCAA tournament bid since he arrived.

Three years ago, Georgia brought in Dennis Felton. Two years ago Auburn brought in Jeff Lebo. The jury is still out on each.

In short, there have been no Pearlesque transformations anywhere but at Tennessee.

But if there's an athletic director out there straddling a fence like Hamilton was last year, he has to consider the rewards that UT garnered for pulling that trigger.

"I've had a lot of ADs ask me about our process and what I saw in Bruce when I was hiring him,'' Hamilton said.

"A lot of my friends in this league that I've known a long time are offering congratulations and pats on the back.

"And that feels good because it symbolizes the success of the past year.''

So let the other guys squirm for now. Hamilton can sit back and enjoy the ride.