Slotting Northwestern head coach Chris Collins in the No. 9 spot was very difficult. He is the rival coach but the facts are all there of how good this Northwestern team could be.
Collins finished up his third season with the team this past year. He took over a struggling program that has never been to the NCAA Tournament.
That streak continued last season but I feel like Northwestern is closer than ever.
Collins only had 14 wins his first season with the program but followed that up with a 15 win campaign in year two.
Last season Collins finished with 20 wins and barely missed the postseason. He has this team trending upward and I wouldn’t doubt if they make it to the NCAA Tournament this year.
Collins isn’t the greatest of recruiters yet, though. He has only averaged a recruiting class ranked 73rd in the nation over the last three years.
This bad recruiting ranking probably has to do with the lack of NBA talent produced and the history of missed postseasons.
But, I honestly think that Northwestern is on the right course and this has a lot to do with Collins coaching ability. That is why he is No. 9 on this list.
Next: No. 8