Mark Pope picked up a one-year extension, $50K bonus by coaching Kentucky back to the Sweet 16

You know all that gas money Mark Pope sent Kentucky fans to get to Milwaukee for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament? He just got it all paid for.

With the win over Illinois, the Wildcats are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. For that, an automatic extension and bonus have been locked in for Pope — doing it in his debut season in Lexington.

According to the official contract details made publicly available by the school, Pope has earned a one-year extension to go with a $50,000 bonus.

Pope’s five-year deal pays him $5 million in year one with increases of $250,000 each season from there. It’s a contract loaded with incentives, including $100K for an SEC regular season championship, $50K for an SEC Tournament title, $25K for a team GPA of 3.0 or greater and $25K for a team APR score of at least 975. As for the postseason, his deal includes $50K bonuses for Sweet 16s, $100K for Elite Eights, $250K for Final Fours and $500K for national championships.

His extension triggers a $500K raise in the final year of his deal, which will now expire in 2030. That one will be worth $6.25 million.

Pope is currently the 11th-highest-paid coach in college basketball, according to a USA Today database among public universities.

Worth every penny.

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