Archie Miller contract -- rich man, fewer patsies, credit card info needed

By Pete DiPrimio

It’s official -- Archie Miller is really, really rich.

That is, if you think $3.35 million a year makes you rich.

It’s also official -- Indiana will pay its new basketball coach to stay away from scheduling non-conference patsies.

For those who love watching the Hoosiers bury the likes of Savannah State, Nichols State and Coppin State, this is heart-breaking.

For those wanting IU to schedule to its tradition -- and to boost its NCAA tourney stock -- this is Manna from heaven.

First, Miller’s contract to coach Indiana basketball was released on Tuesday. It’s a seven-year deal worth $24 million. 

If you like specifics, and who doesn’t when you’re talking about this much money, his base salary is $550,000 per year. Then he gets an extra $1.65 to $1.95 million a year for some reason. He also gets an extra $50,000 a year in outside marketing and promotional income. He also gets $1 million a year in deferred compensation.

To put this in perspective, this is EXACTLY what I get every time somebody reads this blog while passing along his or her credit card information!

So now you know.

Anyway, this means Miller is under big-time pressure to win big right away, which is what he knew from the instant he said yes. IU wants to win national championships, make Final Fours and, in short, do what a traditional college superpower does.

As a result, Miller’s contract also has bonuses based on performance, and the most intriguing involves the non-conference schedule.

Former coach Tom Crean was blistered for scheduling non-conference home games against teams so bad, even Dick Vitale didn’t know who they were. And, of course, Crean was a driving force in the Hoosiers deciding to play, say, Mississippi Valley State in Assembly Hall rather than Kentucky at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.

But we digress.

Miller will get $125,000 for playing no more than one non-conference team with an RPI rating above 300 as reported on ESPN.com’s final ratings.

This could be a problem next season given IU just announced the teams it will play in the Hoosier Tip-off Classic at Assembly Hall, set to run between Nov. 12 through Nov. 26. Those teams are Howard, South Florida, Arkansas State and Eastern Michigan.

Last year, based on Kenpom ratings, Howard finished No. 338. Howard was at No. 292.

For Miller’s financial adviser, this is DANGEROUSLY close.

Meanwhile, Arkansas State was No. 124. Eastern Michigan was No. 148.

Still, in future years, Miller figures to play a more challenging non-conference schedule than Crean did. For instance, Miller and athletic director Fred Glass are in agreement that it’s time to resume the IU-Kentucky series, although that might take a few years to work out.

IU is still wrapping up its non-conference schedule, but it is already committed to travel to Seton Hall on Nov. 15 as part of the Gavitt Cup, play at Louisville Dec. 9, host Duke Nov. 29 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and face Notre Dame on Dec. 16 in the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis.

That should help prepare the Hoosiers for Big Ten play, satisfy NCAA tourney selection committee strength-of-schedule demands and please fans who yearn for must-see games rather than glacier-vs.-the-Titanic routs.

"When it comes to giving teams the opportunity to play in Assembly Hall,” Miller said in a university release, “everybody that we bring in here has to have great purpose, whether that's a national opponent or a game we're preparing to play a specific style of a team coming from a different league that we'll see later down the road.

 "As we look toward the future, we want to put ourselves on a marquis stage as much as we can, but also schedule with great intelligence to fit all of our needs that put us in the best possible position for post season play."

As for the rest of his contract, Miller gets $125,000 for a multi-year APR score of 950, $125,000 for winning the Big Ten regular season title, $50,000 for winning the Big Ten tourney championship, $25,000 for making the NCAA tourney, $35,000 for making the Sweet 16, $50,000 for making the Elite Eight, $125,000 for making the Final Four, $250,000 for winning the NCAA championship, $50,000 for being named Big Ten coach of the year and $50,000 for winning national-coach-of-the-year honors.

This leads to three obvious conclusions:

* IU fans are really pumped about Miller’s debut season

* The Hoosiers had better win big.

* Success depends TOTALLY on sending me your credit card info!