Biggest bonuses earned by men's college basketball coaches this season

For a second consecutive season, Tennessee was eliminated from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in an upset loss. And for a second consecutive season, Volunteers coach Rick Barnes still stands to end up with the greatest bonus total of any public-school coach in USA TODAY Sports’ annual men’s basketball pay survey.

Not including a potential team-academics bonus, Barnes will come away with a total of $700,000 for this season, which ended with No. 4 seed Tennessee losing in the regional semifinals to No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic. FAU then advanced to the Final Four.

Last season, Barnes got $1.1 million, including a $100,000 team-academics bonus, when Tennessee won the Southeastern Conference tournament, finished among the top five in the final Associated Press media poll, then lost in an NCAA second-round game to 11th-seeded Michigan.

This season’s biggest overall incentives winner likely will be Connecticut’s Dan Hurley. The Huskies’ advance to the Final Four will allow him the option of extending his contract by two years, through March 31, 2029.

This is on top of earlier tournament wins that gave Hurley automatic raises totaling $100,000 more than his annual guaranteed increase of $50,000. Add it all up, and, under his current terms, the additional years would be scheduled to add at least $6.75 million to the value of his deal, with half of that amount guaranteed.

Hurley also has picked up $300,000 in bonuses so far, and he will add $200,000 more if UConn wins the NCAA championship. In addition, he could receive up to $100,000 from what his contract calls a "discretionary bonus" that is determined by the athletics director.

MONEY MATTERS:Miami's trip to Final Four is testament to power of NIL

LONG SHOT:Florida Atlantic belongs in Final Four, but an unlikely achievement

Hurley was not included in USA TODAY Sports’ pay survey this year because UConn is not a Power Five conference school, and it had not played in at least three of the past five NCAA tournaments.

Based on the coaches whose teams participated in this year’s tournament, there were 45 at public schools. Those coaches have so far totaled nearly $4.2 million in bonuses from their teams’ on-court performance.

Below is a list of the bonuses accumulated by the 18 coaches who have picked up $100,000 or more, along with the status of Texas' arrangements with Rodney Terry, who was elevated from interim head coach to full-fledged head coach on March 27.

The list goes from highest to lowest after first listing the three in the Final Four. If any of these coaches leaves for another position, the amounts still may be owed to the coach.

The list does not include coaches from private institutions, Penn State or Pittsburgh because those schools are not required to make their contracts or financial terms public – and they do not do so voluntarily.

It also does not include bonuses for team academic achievements or other incentives, including number of team’s national television appearances during the regular season, attendance, or tickets sold. 

Final Four coaches

Connecticut: Dan Hurley ($300,000, plus two-year contract extension and raise)

Has:

►$35,000 bonus, and $25,000 pay increase above scheduled $50,000 raise, beginning with next contract year: NCAA tournament bid, starting in round of 64

►$100,000: Top 10 in final AP or USA TODAY Coaches poll (No. 10 in final AP poll)

►$15,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$50,000 bonus, one-year contract extension and additional $75,000 pay increase above scheduled $50,000 raise: NCAA round of 16 appearance

►$50,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance

►$50,000, additional one-year contract extension: NCAA Final Four appearance (At Hurley’s option, agreement would be set to run through March 31, 202; scheduled pay for the two additional seasons is a combined total of at least $6.75 million, with $3.375 million guaranteed.)

Can get:

►$50,000: NCAA final appearance

►$150,000: Win NCAA title

►$100,000: Discretionary bonus determined by athletics director

San Diego State: Brian Dutcher ($200,000)

Has:

►$10,000: 2 regular-season wins over Power Five conference teams at $5,000 each (Stanford, Ohio State)

►$50,000: Mountain West Conference regular season or tournament title (won both)

►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$10,000: Top 25 through 16 in final AP or USA TODAY Coaches poll (No. 18 in final AP poll)

►$10,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$10,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

►$5,000: Win over Power Five team (Alabama)

►$5,000: Win over top-25 team in AP or USA TODAY Coaches poll (Alabama, No. 1 in AP poll)

►$10,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance

►$5,000: Win over top-25 team in AP or Coaches poll (Creighton, No. 22 in Coaches poll)

►$60,000: NCAA Final Four appearance             

Can get:

►$35,000: NCAA final appearance

►$10,000: If wins NCAA title over Miami ($5,000 for win over Power Five team, plus $5,000 for win over top-25 team in AP or Coaches poll – Miami No. 15 in Coaches poll)

    OR

    $5,000: If wins NCAA title over Connecticut (Win over top-25 team in AP or Coaches poll – Connecticut No. 10 in AP poll)

►$10,000: Top 15 in final USA TODAY Coaches poll

Florida Atlantic: Dusty May ($135,000)

Has:

►$15,000: Conference USA regular season title

►$10,000: C-USA coach of the year

►$10,000: C-USA tournament title (NCAA tournament bid)

►$30,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$20,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

►$25,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance

►$25,000: NCAA Final Four appearance

Can get:

►$50,000: NCAA final appearance

►$100,000: Win NCAA title

Other coaches reaching six figures

Tennessee: Rick Barnes ($700,000)

►$200,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$100,000: Top 25 through 16 in final AP poll (No. 20)

►$200,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$200,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Arkansas: Eric Musselman ($250,000, plus contract extension and raise)

►One-year contract extension and $100,000 pay increase, beginning with next contract year: NCAA tournament bid (Agreement now set to run through April 30, 2028; scheduled total pay for that season is at least $4.2 million, with $2.94 million guaranteed.)

►$50,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$200,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Alabama: Nate Oats ($200,000)

►$50,000: Southeastern Conference regular season title

►$50,000: SEC tournament title

►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$25,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Texas: Rodney Terry (to be determined)

Under the terms of Terry's contract as associate head coach — as modified on Jan. 5, when Chris Beard was fired and Terry became interim head coach — Terry would have been due an apparent $180,000 in bonuses for the team winning the Big 12 Conference tournament title, then advancing to the NCAA tournament round of 8.

However, with his hiring as full-fledged head coach on March 27, "the details on his performance incentives are being finalized and are not yet available," Texas athletics department spokeman John Bianco wrote in an email to USA TODAY Sports on March 30.  

College of Charleston: Pat Kelsey ($175,000)

►$25,000: Colonial Athletic Association regular season title

►$150,000: NCAA tournament bid

Purdue: Matt Painter ($166,068)

►$94,896: Big Ten Conference regular season title

►$47,448: Big Ten tournament title

►$23,724: NCAA tournament bid

Mississippi State: Chris Jans ($150,000)

►$150,000: NCAA tournament bid

Indiana: Mike Woodson ($150,000)

►$100,000: Top-3 finish in Big Ten Conference regular season standings

►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

Kansas State: Jerome Tang ($125,000)

►$25,000: Big 12 Conference coach of the year

►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$12,500: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$12,500: NCAA round of 16 appearance

►$50,000: NCAA round of 8 appearance

UCLA: Mick Cronin ($120,000)

►$25,000: Pac-12 Conference regular season title outright

►$10,000: Pac-12 coach of the year

►$35,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$25,000: NCAA round of 32 appearance

►$25,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Arizona: Tommy Lloyd ($120,000)

►$40,000: 25 or more wins

►$50,000: Pac-12 Conference tournament title

►$30,000: Poll (No. 8 AP final rankings)       

Houston: Kelvin Sampson ($105,000, plus raise)

►$25,000: American Athletic Conference regular season title

►$10,000: AAC coach of the year

►$100,000 pay increase, beginning with next contract year: NCAA tournament bid

►$20,000: Top 25 in final AP or USA TODAY Coaches poll (No. 2 in final AP poll)

►$50,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Virginia: Tony Bennett ($100,000)

►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$50,000: Top 15 through 11 in final AP of USA TODAY Coaches poll (No. 14 in AP poll)

Michigan State: Tom Izzo ($100,000)

►$25,000: NCAA tournament bid

►$75,000: NCAA round of 16 appearance

Kansas: Bill Self ($100,000)

►$50,000: Big 12 Conference regular season title

►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid

Texas A&M: Buzz Williams ($100,000)

►$50,000: Southeastern Conference co-coach of the year (coaches’ vote)

►$50,000: NCAA tournament bid