NCAA Basketball: 5 head coaches that could be the next Scott Frost in 2022-23

Chris Collins

The story of Northwestern is a bizarre one in college basketball. A member of the Big Ten for a century, the Wildcats did not reach their first NCAA Tournament until 2017, a run that actually came under Collins, then in his fourth season. Obviously, Northwestern is best known for its academics, and more recently for success in football, with basketball taking a backseat across history.

A native of the Chicago suburbs, Collins starred at Duke and spent more than a decade on Coach K’s staff before taking his first head coaching job at Northwestern back in 2013. As previously mentioned, he had a major breakthrough, leading the Wildcats to that first NCAA Tournament appearance and win in his fourth season. However, that breakthrough was isolated, as Northwestern has really struggled in the five years since that run. The 2017 team was the only during Collins’ tenure to finish higher than 9th in Big Ten play and was also their most recent finish above .500.

One thing to consider is that Northwestern is pretty patient with their basketball coaches, as predecessor Bill Carmody lasted 13 years without ever sniffing the Big Dance. On the other hand, Northwestern has really struggled in recent years and you have to wonder how much longer the Wildcats are willing to tolerate the same level of mediocrity they were used to before that breakthrough season. Collins accomplished his goal of the Big Dance, but has failed to make the Wildcats a consistent winner.

We’ve looked at five coaches who could get the Scott Frost treatment in the coming months once the college basketball season begins. Do you agree with the five we chose? Do you think any or all of them are on the brink of being fired, perhaps even during the upcoming season?