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Big Ten Rankings: Top 5 highest paid basketball coaches

By Connor Muldowney

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Feb 22, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta reacts against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Although Thad Matta may not have had the most success in the NCAA Tournament of any coach in the Big Ten, it seems like he has the right idea in terms of recruiting the top talent in the country and churning out NBA talent each year.

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    • Unfortunately for the Ohio State head coach, freshman point guard D’Angelo Russell had a stellar enough season to be considered a top-five NBA Draft pick this year and that he was. The Buckeyes are losing their starting point guard for the 2015-16 season as Russell is joining the Lakers.

    However, a draft pick like that in the early stages of the first round can help lure some of the nation’s top talent to Columbus, especially seeing how Matta let Russell run the offense his way, even becoming the leading scorer on the team as a freshman point guard.

    One knock against Matta, though, is his inability to lead the Buckeyes to a title despite bringing in some of the country’s top high school recruits.

    Despite the lack of tourney success in recent years, Matta has won five Big Ten regular season titles, four conference tournament titles and two Final Fours — one in 2007 and another in 2012. The 2015-16 season could still potentially be special for the veteran head coach as he is bringing in five four-star recruits for a class ranked No. 11 in the country, according to 247Sports.

    Matta makes a lot of money, but it’s safe to say he has earned it.

    Next: 1. Tom Izzo, Michigan State

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