The Hawks had an incredible tournament run and defied all expectations. Hawk fans far and wide are ecstatic. But to compare what McCullum accomplished this year to Curt Cignetti's national title run...or for our lady athletic director to consider rewarding him with a Kirk Ferentzian lifetime contract based on winning 3 games in 7 days is just ludacris.
Cignetti is in a league of his own. The guy brought a perennial doormat from irrelevance to an undefeated season capped off by a national championship. It's probably the story of the century in college football. Something that likely will never happen again in our lifetimes.
McCollum, on the other hand, took over a middle of the pack Big 10 program, rode his senior transfer all-American point guard to a middle of the pack 10-10 finish in the Big 10 + a quick exit in the Big 10 tourney, and a #9 seed in the tournament. Both Alford and McCaffery were equally capable of doing that, and both were run out of town. While it is prestigious to even make the NCAA tournament, the Hawks limped in as the 9th place team in the Big 10...knowing the 10th place team wasn't even good enough to make the tournament at all.
The Hawkeyes caught fire when it mattered most, in the NCAA tournament. They are to be commended for that. Breaking curses and reaching new heights with a team less talented than most. But when you think of it, Iowa was able to reach the Elite 8 by pulling off just 1 upset. First they beat the #8 seed, a 24-11 Clemson team. According to the sports books, more people bet on Iowa than Clemson to win that game. They also had the opportunity to beat up on little brother Nebraska, whom they had already beat a few weeks prior and taken to overtime in the other game. The point spread was 1 point. So they won another game they should have won. Not many #9 seeds ever get that kind of luck in the tourney.
So does pulling off a major upset against Florida single handedly negate the 10-10 finish with some bad losses / no big wins during the regular season? To some extent, absolutely! It brought major attention to the university and will hopefully boost NIL donations in the offseason. But the team still enters next season as the returning 9th place team who is losing the best point guard to play at the school in the past 35 years.
It's great to be pumped about the Hawks. I sure am. But we might want to see how next year plays out before doubling the guy's brand new salary (which doubled his last salary) and locking him in with a 10 year deal. In college hoops, NIL and elite talent are the name of the game. A roster without Stirtz next year is a MAJOR question mark. The current roster without Stirtz would have been a .500 team that did not qualify for the NIT.
Cignetti is in a league of his own. The guy brought a perennial doormat from irrelevance to an undefeated season capped off by a national championship. It's probably the story of the century in college football. Something that likely will never happen again in our lifetimes.
McCollum, on the other hand, took over a middle of the pack Big 10 program, rode his senior transfer all-American point guard to a middle of the pack 10-10 finish in the Big 10 + a quick exit in the Big 10 tourney, and a #9 seed in the tournament. Both Alford and McCaffery were equally capable of doing that, and both were run out of town. While it is prestigious to even make the NCAA tournament, the Hawks limped in as the 9th place team in the Big 10...knowing the 10th place team wasn't even good enough to make the tournament at all.
The Hawkeyes caught fire when it mattered most, in the NCAA tournament. They are to be commended for that. Breaking curses and reaching new heights with a team less talented than most. But when you think of it, Iowa was able to reach the Elite 8 by pulling off just 1 upset. First they beat the #8 seed, a 24-11 Clemson team. According to the sports books, more people bet on Iowa than Clemson to win that game. They also had the opportunity to beat up on little brother Nebraska, whom they had already beat a few weeks prior and taken to overtime in the other game. The point spread was 1 point. So they won another game they should have won. Not many #9 seeds ever get that kind of luck in the tourney.
So does pulling off a major upset against Florida single handedly negate the 10-10 finish with some bad losses / no big wins during the regular season? To some extent, absolutely! It brought major attention to the university and will hopefully boost NIL donations in the offseason. But the team still enters next season as the returning 9th place team who is losing the best point guard to play at the school in the past 35 years.
It's great to be pumped about the Hawks. I sure am. But we might want to see how next year plays out before doubling the guy's brand new salary (which doubled his last salary) and locking him in with a 10 year deal. In college hoops, NIL and elite talent are the name of the game. A roster without Stirtz next year is a MAJOR question mark. The current roster without Stirtz would have been a .500 team that did not qualify for the NIT.
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