The fourth-winningest active coach is Bob Huggins and he’s contractually linked to no worse than the eighth-best salary in the Big East.

I’ll allow you to digest for a moment.

And we’re back. Yes, from what I’ve gathered — and this is emails and conversations with colleagues and administration people, even if just in passing or in catching up — the Huggins lifetime contract is pretty rare. Actually, based on my unscientific sample that’s gone on for two-plus years now, it’s entirely unique. And that makes it intriguing.

By definition, the school is to figure out the “mean” salary of the conference coaches and put Huggins there if he’s below the mean. That point, if one is to be established, becomes his new salary and the basis for the $100,000 annual retention incentives (loyalty bonus).

For the first two years of the contract, it hasn’t been an issue and Huggins was above the determined mean. This has been an active — and lucrative — offseason, though, and new coaches and new contracts are making us take a look at the mean.

Four schools hired new coaches and each did so at an increased salary … three  of them being greatly increased. Three other schools did extensions/raises that also changed the overall numbers.

Those seven schools alone roughly doubled the mean among just themselves. If the mean there changes so much, it can surely affect the conference-wide mean, which then affects Huggins and how he’s paid.

So perhaps it’s time for Huggins and his people and WVU and its people to examine the mean. What better time for all involved than immediately after a Final Four?

Well, it’s tricky. The contract asks WVU to get salaries from the Big East. Well, nine of the 16 schools are private. Even if the Big East asks for numbers, it cannot demand them.

The Big East only conducts “confidential surveys” and schools are not obligated to participate in providing information about various topics that may include salaries, but also other amenities that make schools and programs attractive or profitable.

When applied to the present, those results are typically a full season behind.

It’s a completely inexact science and, to be completely honest, and fair, it’s not going to be an issue here. You can gather a pretty good sample of the Big East salaries and see Huggins is almost certainly above the mean. To that, he’s happy, he’s well-paid and he doesn’t seem like one to really care much about how his contract compares to other contracts.

But it’s weird to think that DePaul and St. John’s making exorbitant hires and Louisville and UConn offering rich extensions can change the way Huggins is compensated.