March Madness has barely gotten underway, and we’ve already seen some tremendous upsets on the first “full” day of action. A pair of 12-seeds won, as McNeese State dominated Clemson and Colorado State knocked off Memphis. Drake had its way with Missouri; the Bulldogs besting the Tigers will surely make dog fans around the nation happy.
We also had a minor upset as a pair of legendary coaches faced off in Providence, Rhode Island. John Calipari and his Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, 79-72.
A 10-seed beating a 7-seed isn’t a major upset, though Arkansas did come into the game as 4.5-point underdogs. The Razorbacks ended the game on a 15-5 run to ice the game and capture the victory.
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With the Jayhawks knocked out, the highest-paid coach in the NCAA Tournament is already eliminated. Self signed a lifetime rolling deal in November 2023. It’s the largest contract for a coach at a public university, worth about $53 million over the first five years. Self, whose Jayhawks have won two championships during his tenure, made $8,803,800 this season.
It’s the first time since 2006 that the Jayhawks have lost in the first round. It nearly happened last year, too. Kansas was a 4-seed and barely hung on against Samford, perhaps aided by a very generous foul call. Self made even more money during the 2023-24 season. His salary was over $9 million; with total compensation he earned about $13 million over the course of the year.
That leaves Calipari as the highest-paid coach remaining in the tournament, at least for now. The Arkansas coach takes on Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm in the second round. Calipari signed a five-year deal with Arkansas in 2024 after a long tenure with the Kentucky Wildcats. Calipari made $8 million this year, with a $7 million salary and a $1 million signing bonus. And if you’re scoring at home, Pitino is making a reported $3.3 million in salary.
Ultimately, only one team can become the champion. Sixty-seven other ones will lose along the way. Still, you’d think the team with the highest-paid coach might last just a little bit longer.
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