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The Kentucky basketball team is headed to the Sweet 16 in Year 1 of the Mark Pope era. The Wildcats advanced to the second weekend of postseason play with a win over Illinois on Sunday.
That win proved lucrative for their new head coach. Not only did he unlock a five-figure bonus, but he landed a contract extension, too.
Kentucky MBKB coach Mark Pope picks up automatic 1-yr contract extension and $50,000 bonus, as Wildcats reach NCAA tournament Sweet 16 in Pope’s first season at UK by beating Illinois.
Added yr set to be worth $6.25 million with $4,687,500 guaranteed; takes deal thru 3/31/2030.
— Steve Berkowitz (@ByBerkowitz) March 23, 2025
Steve Berkowitz of USA Today says the coach earned a $50,000 bonus on top of a one-year extension ($4.69M guaranteed) that allows his current deal to run through 2030. His latest March Madness victory might just bank him over $5 million with that extra year’s salary taken into consideration.
The Kentucky basketball coach can probably use the money. He finds himself in a bit of a hole after making a costly promise to Big Blue Nation.
Mark Pope vowed to cover fans’ travel to the Big Dance.
The coach received a slew of emails and messages after promising to give fans gas money to see the Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky played its first weekend in Milwaukee, a little under 500 miles outside of Lexington.
Pope wanted to create a homecourt advantage seven hours away. His act of kindness was a way of doing so.
Mark Pope wants to see BBN take over Milwaukee, a 7-hour drive from Lexington.
“If anybody is having trouble with gas money, hit me up. Let’s go. Let’s get all of BBN out there.”
🎥: @UKSportsNetwork pic.twitter.com/UerH3NYKuv
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) March 17, 2025
The bonus and contract extension should help offset the expenditures. We’ll see if he follows through with the bargain as the March Madness run continues.
Next up is SEC rival Tennessee in Indianapolis. That trip is much shorter than Milwaukee, with a quick Google search showing a three-hour drive covering about 190 miles.
Mark Pope is going to get paid thanks to Kentucky’s Sweet 16 run. We’ll see if shares the wealth with the fanbase.