NCAA Basketball: Way-too-early hot seat power rankings for 2021-22
9. Chris Collins
Chris Collins‘ eight-year-long tenure with the Northwestern Wildcats has been nothing short of tumultuous – and, in many ways, disappointing. For all intents and purposes, the Collins era began optimistically, with the former Duke assistant inheriting a near-.500 squad and, after two losing seasons, leading them to back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
The latter of those seasons yielded the Wildcats’ first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016-17, when Northwestern finished 24-12 overall and 10-8 in conference play – their first winning Big Ten record in 49 years – and a fifth-place finish in the conference. The Wildcats’ season – arguably, the greatest in program history – was capped off with a nailbiting Round of 64 win against Vanderbilt and a narrow loss to eventual national runner-up Gonzaga.
Despite a number of significant returners from that team and a preseason ranking of 19th in the AP Poll, Collins and the Wildcats took a devastating step back, finishing with a losing record and dropping back to the basement of the Big Ten. Attempts to rebound and return to the prosperity of the 2016-17 have been futile, however – with this past season, arguably, being the biggest disappointment yet.
The 2020-21 season – which saw Northwestern selected last in the preseason Big Ten media poll – may have been the most tumultuous. A 3-0 start to the Big Ten season – including wins over Michigan State and Ohio State – propelled the Wildcats into the national ranks, before a 13-game losing streak struck and ended any potential success, sending Northwestern to a pair of 9-15 overall and 6-13 conference marks.
What may ultimately keep Collins away from the hot seat, however, is his increasingly growing solid core of players, comprised of names such as Boo Buie and Pete Nance. In addition, Collins is set to bring in the sixth-ranked recruiting class in the Big Ten, which also ranks 34th in the nation – headlined by a four-star shooting guard in Casey Simmons.
On paper, the future is bright for Northwestern – but Collins’ past results leave little optimism. With seven of his eight seasons producing finishes at ninth or worse in the Big Ten, the pressure is on for Collins to finally break through and create consistent success – and with a young team on his hands, he may have that opportunity for a few more years. If this attempt falls through, however, then it may be time for the Wildcats to make a change.