Despite some rough spots this season, Rutgers basketball is headed in the right direction under head coach Steve Pikiell. And Rutgers basketball, at least according to a recent list from USA TODAY, has gotten quite a good deal in terms of Pikiell.
In his list of the “Five most underpaid men’s college basketball coaches,” USA TODAY’s Paul Myberg lists Pikiell as a great deal for Rutgers.
Myberg notes that Pikiell is the eleventh-highest-paid coach in the Big Ten which, for the success he has had, is not a very high number.
“The former Stony Brook coach opened with three losing finishes in a row but has posted a winning record in each of the past four seasons, a program first since 1989-92. The Scarlet Knights’ best run in decades will earn Pikiell $3 million in compensation during the 2022-23 season…”
The story noted that Pikiell’s buyout is also the second-highest in college basketball among those surveyed.
Rutgers has lost three of their last four games but still finished the season a strong 18-13 (10-10 Big Ten). It is a fourth-straight winning season for the Scarlet Knights.
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Should Rutgers make the NCAA Tournament, it would be a third-straight season for the Scarlet Knights to make the ‘March Madness.’ The three-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances would be a first for the men’s basketball program.
Pikiell is joined on this list from USA TODAY by fellow Big Ten head coach Matt Painter.
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