The Candy Sixteen is lastly right here, because the No. 4 seed Maryland Terrapins are taking up the No. 1 seed Florida Gators on the Chase Middle in San Francisco on Thursday evening, trying to attain their first Elite Eight since their Nationwide Championship in 2002.
It’s been a terrific season for the Terrapins, who’ve constructed one of many strongest beginning fives within the nation with Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice, Selton Miguel, Julian Reese and Derik Queen. They completed second within the Huge Ten through the common season, and have now kicked off their NCAA match with wins over Grand Canyon and Colorado State, with the latter coming off a Queen game-winner on the buzzer.
That has led the Terrapins to their first Candy Sixteen in practically a decade and their second within the final 22 years. However, heading into Thursday’s essential recreation, not one of the media focus has been on what will probably be their hardest problem of this season.
As an alternative, all of the headlines have been on head coach Kevin Willard, who has publicly flirted with the thought of leaving the Terrapins for the vacant Villanova opening within the media over the previous few weeks.
Willard first aired out his soiled laundry with former Athletic Director Damon Evans forward of Maryland’s first-round recreation in opposition to Grand Canyon, citing the necessity to make infrastructure modifications throughout the program.
Not solely did he make his frustrations public, however Willard additionally name-dropped Evans’s ties to SMU earlier than an announcement was official, which was unorthodox.
“Damon and I talked on Sunday evening proper earlier than Choice Sunday. He gave me a time period sheet proper earlier than Choice Sunday. I actually wasn’t targeted on it. Been targeted on this staff, Willard stated. “Damon’s talked to my agent. I talked to Damon this morning at size about the place we’re,” Willard stated forward of the Grand Canyon recreation. “Clearly it’s troublesome proper now as a result of I feel we all know his state of affairs.”
He’s most likely going to SMU. So it’s sort of robust to barter with someone that’s possibly not right here, however I have to make basic modifications to this system. That’s what I’m targeted on proper now. That’s why, most likely, a deal hasn’t obtained executed. As a result of I wish to see, I have to see basic modifications. I need this program to be nice. I wish to be the very best within the nation. I wish to win a nationwide championship.”
I don’t know the way we could be a top-tier program, and I can’t spend one additional evening in New York as a result of it’s too costly,” Willard continued. “So there’s basic issues I’m preventing for for my staff and my program.”
Willard primarily targeted on the shortage of NIL assets for the basketball program, seemingly placing Maryland in a troublesome place as he navigates his subsequent teaching determination.
“There’s issues that want to vary,” Willard stated. “Whenever you’re at a spot for 3 years and you place your coronary heart and soul into it, you sort of say it to sit down there and say, Okay, wait a second for us to be actually profitable, ‘ X, Y, and Z wants to vary.’ And at the start, I have to make it possible for we’re the place we’re with NIL and rev-share is just not the place we’ve been with NIL…The previous two years, we’ve been one of many worst, if not lowest, in NIL within the final two years. In order that’s at the start. I additionally must make a basic change the place I can do the issues that I wish to do with my program.”
However then, after Maryland’s 25-point win over Grand Canyon final weekend, Willard fired again at reporters when requested about his contract state of affairs.
“There’s no state of affairs,” Willard stated. “The one state of affairs is you guys and Twitter. I can’t management you guys, and I can’t management Twitter. I’ve talked to those guys. These guys know precisely what’s occurring. I’ve been open with them, I’ve been sincere with them. They know precisely what’s occurring. I can’t management you guys. No matter I say, you’re going to write down no matter you wish to say anyway. That’s why this can be a waste of my time.
“I imply, now we have an internet site that’s like, it’d as properly be TMZ. So, I can’t do something about it. I can’t do something about Twitter, I can’t do something about what’s occurring. I can deal with what I can deal with. We have been targeted, I’m excited to be right here, I’m excited to be with these guys. There’s nothing else to speak about. You guys simply write regardless of the hell you wish to write, I don’t give a sh**. I actually don’t.”
If you happen to thought the state of affairs was coming to an finish anytime quickly, assume once more. As a result of issues continued to be awkward throughout Willard’s press convention on Wednesday forward of Maryland’s Candy Sixteen matchup versus Florida.
First, the top coach went on The Kevin Sheehan Present on Tuesday, the place he outlined the place he at present stands with the athletic division, even sharing that he’s staying ‘as of now.’
“Maryland’s been nice. We’re in good form,” Willard stated. “Every little thing that my considerations have been concerning the job, and that was my entire level on the press convention. Perhaps my Jersey got here out of me, not within the biggest means, was I wish to make this program the very best, and I feel when you might have a possibility to do it, it’s a must to reap the benefits of the chance.”
Clearly, shedding the Athletic Director, [it’s] been slightly laborious to be sincere with you. It’s as a result of I wasn’t anticipating Damon [Evans] to depart and go to SMU. However, I’ve been working with [Deputy Athletic Director] Brian Ullman and everybody within the athletic division, they usually’ve been nice they usually understood my considerations and what I need. And once more, I don’t need monumental issues. I simply need this program to be the very best it may be, and I’m not asking for that a lot. As of proper now, I’m staying.”
However then, on Wednesday at his press convention forward of Thursday’s recreation, Willard was requested about Maryland soccer head coach Mike Locksley’s feedback on the will to maintain issues in-house. In response, the top coach utterly side-stepped the query in a non-discreet means.
“The largest factor is we’ve obtained to cease [Walter] Clayton,” Willard stated in response. “He’s actually good. He shoots the basketball going left 48 p.c. He shoots it proper going at, like, 38 p.c. So actually, the final couple of days attempting to provide you with a recreation plan to cease Clayton as a result of I feel he’s among the finest guards within the nation that we’ve seen. And actually clearly attempting to repair our rebounding woes have been on the prime of my thoughts, too. It’s a giant drawback.”
May as properly pencil in Kevin Willard into the Villanova job…can NOT imagine he stated this earlier than an NCAA Event Candy 16 matchup.
— Ryan Coyle (@ryancoyle35) March 26, 2025
Then, when later requested about his radio present feedback about working with the athletic division, Willard, as soon as once more, side-stepped the query and targeted on Florida.
“Yeah, we’re taking part in Florida. We’re taking part in Florida. It’s a giant match-up for us,” Willard stated in response. “That is all concerning the Candy 16 and these guys having fun with it as a lot as doable. I’ve take pleasure in it tremendously. I do love this city. It’s a terrific city. Nice meals. Bought to have dinner with P.J. Carlesimo final evening, which is at all times quite a lot of enjoyable, the tales we get to inform about Seton Corridor. And Chris Mullin and Coach Van Gundy joined us. We had a good time final evening.”
I can’t recall a current state of affairs the place a staff made it to the Candy Sixteen and the main target was on a coach probably leaving for a brand new alternative. Now, no matter how Willard handles himself all through the remainder of Maryland’s season, there will probably be this bubble of hypothesis across the head coach, who isn’t doing a lot to quell the rumors.
Now, Maryland has seemingly executed properly to dam out the noise with two wins within the NCAA match to this point. They’ll want to do this once more on Thursday after they face their hardest problem of the season.
However, even with a recreation of such magnitude developing, Willard’s future stays the largest query mark for Maryland, and it’s unclear when a resolve will come.
