MADISON, Wis. _ Based on his relatively modest pay among Big Ten coaches, Greg Gard provided Wisconsin with a high rate of return this past season.
Consider that his total compensation package of $1,753,445 for the 2016-17 season was 10th among the 13 Big Ten schools that provided data to USA Today for its annual study of college basketball coaches salaries. Penn State, as a quasi-private institution, was the lone Big Ten school that did not provide compensation figures.
Yet UW finished second in the Big Ten during the regular season, reached the Big Ten tournament title game and was one of three Big Ten teams to reach the NCAA Sweet 16.
The others were Purdue, which won the regular-season title; and Michigan, which was seeded No. 8 in the Big Ten tournament and defeated UW in the title game.
Michigan's John Beilein ranked third in the league in annual compensation at $3,370,000.
Purdue's Matt Painter ranked sixth at $2,403,795.
The Badgers were seeded No. 8 in the East Regional and upset No. 1 Villanova to reach the Sweet 16 before losing in overtime to No. 4 Florida.
Purdue received the Big Ten's highest seeding, No. 4 in the Midwest. The Boilermakers held on to defeat No. 5 Iowa State in the second round before getting routed by No. 1 Kansas, 96-66, in the Sweet 16.
Michigan was seeded No. 7 in the Midwest and upset No. 2 Louisville in the second round before falling by a point to third-seeded Oregon in the Sweet 16.
Michigan State's Tom Izzo topped the league's coaches at $4,251,751. The freshmen-led Spartans were seeded fifth in the Big Ten tournament and went 1-1 in the NCAA Tournament. They were outclassed by Kansas, 90-70, in the second round.
This past season showed again that big salaries don't always lead to big victories.
Ohio State's Thad Matta ($3,552,000) and Indiana's Tom Crean ($3,232,962) were second and fourth, respectively, in the Big Ten an annual compensation.
Neither the Buckeyes nor the Hoosiers made the NCAA field.
Matta received a vote of confidence from athletic director Gene Smith despite missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and is set to return for his 14th season with the Buckeyes.
Crean received a pink slip from athletic director Fred Glass and is still looking for work.
Three other coaches who were paid more than Gard _ ranking Nos. 7, 8 and 9 in the league _ failed to guide their teams to the NCAA Tournament: John Groce of Illinois ($2,205,000), Tim Miles of Nebraska ($2,125,080) and Fran McCaffery of Iowa ($2,054,625).
Groce, like Crean at Indiana, was fired. The Illini hired Brad Underwood, who spent just one season at Oklahoma State.
Two coaches paid less than Gard also guided their teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Richard Pitino ($1,678,812), the Big Ten coach of the year, led Minnesota, to a fourth-place finish in the league and a No. 5 seeding in the NCAA South Regional. The Gophers were seeded too high, however, and suffered an 81-72 loss to No. 12 Middle Tennessee in Milwaukee.
Northwestern's Chris Collins ($1,340,664) guided the Wildcats to their first-ever NCAA berth. They were seeded No. 8 in the West Regional and edged No. 9 Vanderbilt by two points before falling to No. 1 Gonzaga in the second round.
The only other Big Ten coach paid less than Gard, without knowing the compensation at Penn State, was Rutgers' Steve Pikiell ($1,400,000).
Gard was hired last spring before the Big Ten tournament to replace Bo Ryan and given a five-year contract. UW reviews coaches' contracts annually and typically adds another year. Gard's compensation is set to go up $50,000 each year unless a new deal is written. His contract also allows for annual incentive bonuses of up to $400,000.
Ryan's annual compensation package in his final full season was $2,946,000, reportedly then the No. 4 mark among Big Ten coaches. He stepped down as coach in December 2015 after 14-plus years at UW. Gard was given the interim job until being hired as head coach in March 2016.
