Tennessee men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl was caught off guard when asked Tuesday about the future of his contract with the Vols.

"I didn't even know there was any discussion anywhere about it,'' said Pearl, who has an escalating contract that paid him $1.1 million this season and averages $1.3 million through 2012, when he'll make $1.5 million. "I'm so insulated as it relates to watching tape and preparing for opponents, I didn't even know it was up for conversation.''

The No. 25 Vols (24-10), the fifth seed, hope to extend their season when they play top-seeded and No. 1 Ohio State (32-3) in a Sweet 16 match-up in the South Regional of the NCAA tournament on Thursday in San Antonio (TV: WVLT, 9:55 p.m.).

UT athletic director Mike Hamilton said Tuesday that Pearl's contract is structured in such a way that it doesn't necessarily need to be negotiated each year.

"Generally, after a good year exceeding expectations, you would extend the contract,'' Hamilton said. "And you always review contracts in light of the marketplace. We want this to be a long-term relationship.''

Pearl said at this time, he's comfortable with his current contract.

"We made the (salary) adjustment last year,'' said Pearl, who got a raise last year from his introductory annual UT salary of $800,000. "Our staff salary came in around seventh (pay-wise) in the league, and now we're third or fourth. And where did we finish this season? Tied for second in the league. So we're right where we should be.''

Perhaps, but that hasn't stopped Pearl's contract from being discussed on local talk radio shows and the Internet.

Pearl isn't caught up in the supposed leverage he wields, having re-built UT's program in just two years.

"From that standpoint, that's just not how I'm built,'' Pearl said. "The University of Tennessee has given me the opportunity of a lifetime.

"There has been a tremendous commitment with the Pratt Pavilion ($15 million) and the renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena ($15 million). This is something that works both ways.''

Pearl has an incentive clause in his contract that calls for him to receive a 24 percent bonus off his base salary ($300,000) for making this year's Sweet 16, which translates into an extra $72,000.

If Pearl makes the Final Four, he'll receive a $100,000 bonus, and if he wins the national championship he gets a $250,000 bonus.

"If we get to the Final Four, there's a wonderful bonus,'' Pearl said. "There's built-in incentives, and the better we do the more we get, and that's the way it should be.''

Pearl said he wants to enjoy the program's success while still reaching for new heights.

"Some years we hope to exceed the performance standards,'' Pearl said, "and there could be some years when we're not going to reach them. But right now, we've got a game to prepare for.

"I'm sure Mike (Hamilton) and I will sit down at the end of the season and hopefully they'll roll it (contract) over.''

Hamilton said that is very likely, and he added that Pearl can receive other bonuses through academic and individual achievement.

"Bruce gets a $25,000 bonus if the APR is 925 or higher and a $15,000 bonus is the team's cumulative GPA is 2.75 or higher, and they're looking good there,'' Hamilton said. "He also gets a $10,000 bonus if the GSR (graduation rate) is 80 percent or higher.''

Pearl also receives a $25,000 bonus if he wins SEC Coach of the Year and a $50,000 bonus if he's recognized as national coach of the year by a national body.

Hamilton said Pearl received the $50,000 bonus last year after being selected national coach of the year by The Sporting News.