Rick Barnes earns $200,000 bonus for Elite 8 appearance, bringing total bonuses to $1.2 million

After leading the Tennessee to the Elite Eight via a win over Creighton, Volunteers leader Rick Barnes has secured himself another nice payday.

According to Steve Berkowitz of USA TODAY Sports, Barnes added a $200,000 bonus to his net worth on Friday evening, as he secured Tennessee’s spot in the Elite Eight. It’s another check added to the lofty $1.2 million he’s already secured in bonuses throughout the 2023-2024 campaign.

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“Tennessee coach Rick Barnes adds another $200,000 bonus as Vols reach NCAA men’s Elite 8 by beating Creighton,” Berkowitz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Barnes has $1.2 million in bonuses so far, and, as a practical matter, it’s at least $100,000 more as Barnes also gets bonus based on Vols’ ranking in final AP top 25.”

Alas, Tennessee is hoping their run continues after all the way to the Final Four, but it’s been an amazing ride thus far for Barnes and company, all the way to the Elite Eight.

Moreover, it was a hard-fought game for the Volunteers, as the Blue Jays refused to go away in the second half, even after Tennessee went on an impressive 18-0 run to stretch their margin to 55-39 with 13:51 left in the contest.

Tennessee won 82-75, thanks to some impressive defense and a masterful performance from Dalton Knecht. Following the victory, Vols head coach Rick Barnes spoke with Evan Washburn on the court.

The second half featured two impressive runs, one by Tennessee (18-0) and then Creighton (20-7) to tighten the game up late. How did the Volunteers manage to hold off the Blue Jays? “Well first of all, I thought both teams played their hearts out. I thought they gave max effort. Both teams went at it. We knew they would make a run,” Barnes told the media. “I mean, we obviously came out and great run there ourself. But they’re so well coached.

“They just do so many schemes that are hard to guard. But again, I’m proud of our guys finding a way. We just beat an excellent basketball team.”

Now, the Volunteers must turn their attention to the top-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in the Elite Eight. The Boilermakers blessed with one of the most lethal offenses in all of college basketball. What does the Tennessee head coach think of the rematch?

“But this guy [Dalton Knecht] had a great night, too. And we played Purdue earlier in the year. They’re better. We’re better. We’ll get back and go to work,” Barnes finished. 

With the win, the Tennessee Volunteers are headed to the Elite Eight for just the second time in program history (their last trip was in 2010 against Michigan State). They’ll be looking to punch their tickets to the Final Four for the first time in Volunteer basketball history.

On3’s Wade Peery contributed to this article.