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 Heart in San Francisco on Thursday evening, seeking to attain their first Elite Eight since their Nationwide Championship in 2002.
It’s been an incredible 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 event 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 sport, not one of the media focus has been on what will likely 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 sport in opposition to Grand Canyon, citing the necessity to make infrastructure modifications inside 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 centered on it. Been centered on this staff, Willard mentioned. “Damon’s talked to my agent. I talked to Damon this morning at size about the place we’re,” Willard mentioned forward of the Grand Canyon sport. “Clearly it’s tough proper now as a result of I believe we all know his state of affairs.”
He’s most likely going to SMU. So it’s type of powerful to barter with any individual that’s possibly not right here, however I must make basic modifications to this system. That’s what I’m centered on proper now. That’s why, most likely, a deal hasn’t received executed. As a result of I need to see, I must see basic modifications. I need this program to be nice. I need to be the most effective within the nation. I need to win a nationwide championship.”
I don’t understand how we is usually 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 combating for for my staff and my program.”
Willard primarily centered on the shortage of NIL assets for the basketball program, seemingly placing Maryland in a tough place as he navigates his subsequent teaching determination.
“There’s issues that want to alter,” Willard mentioned. “Once you’re at a spot for 3 years and you set your coronary heart and soul into it, you type 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 alter.’ And at the start, I must guarantee that we’re the place we’re with NIL and rev-share will not be 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 should make a basic change the place I can do the issues that I need 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 mentioned. “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 trustworthy with them. They know precisely what’s occurring. I can’t management you guys. No matter I say, you’re going to jot down no matter you need to say anyway. That’s why it is a waste of my time.
“I imply, we now have a web 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 had been centered, 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 need to write, I don’t give a sh**. I actually don’t.”
Should you 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 pinnacle coach went on The Kevin Sheehan Present on Tuesday, the place he outlined the place he presently stands with the athletic division, even sharing that he’s staying ‘as of now.’
“Maryland’s been nice. We’re in good form,” Willard mentioned. “All the pieces that my considerations have been in regards to the job, and that was my complete level on the press convention. Perhaps my Jersey got here out of me, not within the biggest means, was I need to make this program the most effective, and I believe when you will have a chance to do it, you must reap the benefits of the chance.”
Clearly, shedding the Athletic Director, [it’s] been slightly exhausting to be trustworthy 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 most effective 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 sport, Willard was requested about Maryland soccer head coach Mike Locksley’s feedback on the need to maintain issues in-house. In response, the pinnacle coach fully side-stepped the query in a non-discreet means.
“The largest factor is we’ve received to cease [Walter] Clayton,” Willard mentioned in response. “He’s actually good. He shoots the basketball going left 48 %. He shoots it proper going at, like, 38 %. So actually, the final couple of days making an attempt to give you a sport plan to cease Clayton as a result of I believe he’s among the best guards within the nation that we’ve seen. And actually clearly making an attempt to repair our rebounding woes have been on the prime of my thoughts, too. It’s an enormous drawback.”
Would possibly as properly pencil in Kevin Willard into the Villanova job…can NOT imagine he mentioned this earlier than an NCAA Match 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 centered on Florida.
“Yeah, we’re enjoying Florida. We’re enjoying Florida. It’s an enormous match-up for us,” Willard mentioned in response. “That is all in regards to the Candy 16 and these guys having fun with it as a lot as attainable. I’ve get pleasure from it tremendously. I do love this city. It’s an incredible city. Nice meals. Obtained to have dinner with P.J. Carlesimo final evening, which is at all times lots 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 latest state of affairs the place a staff made it to the Candy Sixteen and the main focus 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 likely 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 event up to now. They’ll want to try this once more on Thursday once they face their hardest problem of the season.
However, even with a sport of such magnitude developing, Willard’s future stays the largest query mark for Maryland, and it’s unclear when a resolve will come.
