The nice thing is that even though the teams in the middle aren't in the tournament every year, they do make the tournament fairly often. So if we can get to that level, it'll only be a matter of time. Which is something I never thought I'd say.
Collins is doing unbelievable things with recruiting. Assuming he can coach these guys up -- and there's no reason to think he can't -- we're likely going to reach unprecedented heights in the next few years.
I - and many, if not most ALL of us - buy this stance as being well within the bounds of reason. As such (and yes, I know we've just sweetened his contract), let me ask this: Beyond the obvious (and soon to be nonexistent) "He hasn't made the Tournament yet" , what, exactly, is the argument against giving him a new contract; one that pays him enough that he wouldn't even seriously entertain other offers? If Chris Collins not only makes the Tournament at Northwestern, but has the program on a serious upward trajectory -- and this seems, dare I say it, happily inevitable -- why even risk having a "name" program sweep in and offer him, say, $4 million a year . . . and losing him because we're insisting on paying 25-30% less? If Collins indeed gets us where we're apparently headed, the amount of time it'll take for larger programs to swoop in with lucrative offers will be measured in nanoseconds. Other than the fact that it's not my money, I've got to ask . . . why not head this off at the pass? Why not give him a contract sweet enough that he's happy to stay here with no nagging second thoughts about leaving a lot more money on the table? Given what he's accomplished, reshaping the roster into something the likes of which we never honestly thought we'd EVER see (let alone this quickly), the argument could at least be made to pay him in the range of the top third of coaches in the Big Ten. To me, that would seem around the sweet spot between going WAY over the top (like putting his salary in Izzo territory) and lowballing him to the extent that his antennae are on the alert for a better offer. He has local ties, he has local name recognition, a marvelous area in which to raise his kids and enjoy a magnificent lifestyle, and the chance to put an indelible stamp on a program at an outstanding university . . . about the only thing I can see pulling him away would be a significantly higher offer from a name program. So I say, WHATEVER that takes . . . DON'T. LET. THAT. HAPPEN. Hey, I'm just sayin' . . . . .