Maryland Basketball: Kevin Willard's road struggles are hard to ignore
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In spite of the fact that the Terrapins are currently 13-5 and in 10th place in the Big Ten conference, Maryland fans aren't happy with the current state of the basketball program. Following Thursday night's road loss against Northwestern, fans flocked to social media to voice their displeasure with the team, specifically head coach Kevin Willard. In his third year with the program, Willard has an overall record of 51-35 with one tournament appearance. And while his overall record isn't necessarily cause for alarm, it's his road record that has fans questioning if its time for a change.
Since arriving at Maryland, Willard has put together a brutal road record of just 6-21. Against KenPom Top 200, that record drops to just 4-21.
Since coming over to Maryland ahead of the 2022-23 season, Kevin Willard in true road games versus the KenPom Top 200 (because beating Kenny Payne's Louisville team doesnt count):
— JBR Bracketology (@JBRBracketology) January 17, 2025
4-21.
Pathetic with a capital P. https://t.co/Lk3fkS420e
Given the constant road struggles under Willard, it's no surprise that fans flocked to social media following the loss against Northwestern to voice their displeasure.
Kevin Willard is 3-20 in conference road games at Maryland. He doesn’t recruit. He doesn’t fundraise. He doesn’t develop. Just a disaster hire by an AD who doesn’t care even a little bit about the school.
— Tyler Radecki (@tylerradecki) January 17, 2025
The Kevin Willard era at Maryland:
— Made For March (@madeformarch) January 17, 2025
5-23 in Quad 1 games
6-21 in true road games
Here’s a wild stat: Kevin Willard had more road Big Ten wins in 8 tries at Seton Hall (5) than he has in 24 chances at Maryland (4).
— Harrison Rich (@harrisonrich_) January 17, 2025
Also: Willard went 31-20 in games decided by 2 possessions or less his last 7 seasons at Seton Hall. He’s 9-21 in such games at Maryland. https://t.co/rE8YtUQ7jB
Unfortunately for Willard and the Terrapins, things won't get any easier when they hit the road on Jan. 23 for a matchup with No. 19 Illinois. Although the Terps have put together an all-time record of 15-8 against the fighting Illini, the struggles away from the Xfinity Center aren't giving fans much hope that things will change in Champaign. But if the Terps can go into hostile territory and secure a much-needed road win against Illinois, it might help tone down some of the frustration with Maryland's current head basketball coach.
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Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. In January of 2025, he took over as Publisher for Maryland On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.
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