Big Ten Rankings: Top 5 highest paid basketball coaches

Mar 7, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers coach Tom Crean talks before the game with Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo (left) at Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

With the college basketball season still over three months away, there is much to ponder about such as possible starting lineups, title contenders and top coaches. Not many people think about this, but the list I have created will get your mind flowing in the direction of highest-paid coaches in the Big Ten.

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Last year was supposedly a ‘down-year’ for the Big Ten, but that didn’t stop teams like Wisconsin, Maryland and Michigan State from showing off for the rest of the league, keeping the Big Ten in the conversation for the nation’s best conference.

Maryland had a dominant regular season, winning 14 games in conference play and earning a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament while finished a solid No. 2 in the Big Ten standings. However, the Terrapins season was cut short in the second round with a devastating early tourney loss.

Michigan State had the most improbable run of the three teams mention as the Spartans, led by Tom Izzo, made the Final Four with an average roster and a pedestrian showing in the regular season. The Green & White made it to the Big Ten title game before their deep tourney run.

Lastly, Wisconsin made it to the national title game, knocking off undefeated (38-0) Kentucky in the Final Four before losing to Duke. The Badgers are led by one of the nation’s top coaches in Bo Ryan and he has gotten this program to two consecutive Final Fours.

Let’s take a look to see if any, or all, of those programs have head coaches on the top-five highest-paid Big Ten rankings. The order may surprise you.

Next: 5. Bo Ryan, Wisconsin