'Fire him immediately': Maryland fans turn on Kevin Willard ahead of Terrapins' Sweet Sixteen matchup

With the Maryland Terrapins preparing for their Sweet Sixteen matchup against 1-seed Florida tonight, many within the fanbase have turned on head coach Kevin Willard. Over the last two weeks, Willard has become a lightning rod of controversy due to his refusal to shut down rumors surrounding his future. And while Willard has indicated he'd like to remain in College Park, he's also stopped far short of shutting the door on rumors about the Villanova head coaching vacancy.

Over the last 24 hours, the Villanova rumors have only intensified. With all other major vacancies now filled, that coaching vacancy at Villanova remains open, suggesting that whoever they're targeting is likely still coaching in the NCAA tournament.

It's a stunning turn of events for a Maryland squad that is still in the midst of a tournament run.

When it comes to the Maryland fanbase, the emotions range from frustration to outright anger toward Willard for the way he's handled this entire situation. Although many fans seemed to appreciate his transparency early on, it now feels like Willard's decision to air his grievances publicly was a bad move that only intensified an already big distraction. Just hours before the tip-off between Maryland and Florida, the biggest story surrounding this Terrapin squad is now Kevin Willard... and fans aren't happy about it.

This Kevin Willard fiasco was self-made and so unnecessary.

If he doesn’t do the outrageously unprofessional press conference the day before his team’s tourney game none of this is happening. He was lauded for it initially and shouldn’t have been. He made that the story as his…
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) March 27, 2025

I sure don’t feel the excitement I was expecting to feel for tonight’s game.

Can we sue Willard for our mental state?
— Inside the Shell (@InsidetheShell1) March 27, 2025

Am I missing something or has Kevin Willard hit every note on how to make it as weird as possible for you and your team before a massive game? Such a strange situation that feels so avoidable
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 27, 2025

“ESPN 30 for 30 presents ‘Willard the Weasel’, how a basketball coach revived a once proud program and then stabbed it in the back.” https://t.co/xWqOXuupYh
— Dave (@TestudoDave) March 27, 2025

This Kevin Willard saga is one of the wildest storylines in sports potentially ever. He’s still coaching a team that realistically could win a championship this year still. At the same time, every fan hates him and realizes that he’s about to screw up everything the basketball…
— Abner Casanova (@abnercasanova1) March 26, 2025

Kevin Willard has spent 18 years as a collegiate head coach.

During that time, he has:
- A sub-.500 conference record
- One regular season title and one conference tournament title
- One trip to the second weekend

And he’s managed to make himself the story of Maryland's March
— Michael Howes (@Mikephowes) March 26, 2025