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Northwestern's Chris Collins in Talks for New Contract Amid Villanova Rumors

Collins is the only coach to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament.

Dan Lyons

Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Northwestern Wildcats head coach Chris Collins during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
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As the coach for all three of Northwestern's NCAA tournament appearances, Chris Collins has almost certainly earned the mantle as the greatest coach in program history. Now it appears that he'll be sticking around Evanston, amid rumors of his involvement in the coaching search at Villanova.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reports that Collins is in "deep discussions" on a contract extension that will include "additional years, a raise and provide him more resources for the staff and program."

Collins, who took over Northwestern ahead of the 2013–14 season, previously served as an assistant for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 2000 to '13. He is 194–189 as Wildcats coach, with a Big Ten record of 86–142.

Northwestern's NCAA tournament trips in 2017, '23 and '24 are the first three in program history. Each ended in a trip to the round of 32.

He is 42 wins shy of the program's all-time record, held by Arthur Lonborg, who led Northwestern from 1927 to '50.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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