Kevin Willard didn’t do himself any favors during Villanova’s contest in terms of the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
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Early in the first half when No. 9 seed Utah State led the No. 8 seed Wildcats 22-16, Willard appeared to make a crude joke about firing his assistant coaching staff on the TNT March Madness broadcast.
“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard said. “Yeah, I am, because we’ve given up eight points on out-of-bounds defense. So, the only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”
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Utah State would go on to win the contest 86-76 in front of a crowd of 11,418 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.
Villanova led USU 39-37 at halftime, but the Wildcats lost the rebounding battle 37-27 and shot only 44 percent from the field to the Aggies’ 55 percent.
Amid the loss, Willard faced heavy criticism on social media for both his comments and his team’s performance in the NCAA Tournament.
“As someone who worked for Coach Willard for 4 years I do not find this joke funny,” posted former college basketball coach Casey Stanley.
“Mick Cronin and Kevin Willard are in a tight race for most unlikable coach in College Hoops,” wrote another.
“If you are Villanova, you have to consider firing Kevin Willard, right? I know it is a small school and the athletic budget is limited, but how do you justify keeping him after today?” questioned a fan.
“I think my favorite thing about Kevin Willard isn’t his lack of commitment, his poor recruitment, or his inability to perform in march. It’s his ability to make stupid quotes that totally overshadow anything positive he’s done,” wrote a fan.
“Welcome to Kevin “one and done” Willard Nova nation! That one was karma for last tournament game he coached in San Diego before he left for Maryland,” posted another.
Willard, 50, finished 24-9 in his first season at Villanova. He previously coached at Iona, Seton Hall and Maryland. He’s 359-258 overall as a head coach and has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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