"What a loser" "Huge get for Villanova" - Fans react as Maryland HC Kevin Willard accepts Wildcats job days after March Madness elimination

Maryland coach Kevin Willard led the No. 4-seeded Terrapins to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Terps were eliminated on Friday by the No. 1-seeded Florida Gators.

Speculation about Willard's future in Maryland had rumbled throughout the Big Dance, and on Sunday, ESPN confirmed that the coach had accepted the Villanova Wildcats job that he had been linked with the past week.

College basketball fans had mixed reactions to the charismatic Kevin Willard taking the Wildcats job just days after being eliminated from March Madness with Maryland.

Some fans were not too pleased with how Willard conducted himself before taking the job.

"What a loser," one fan tweeted.

"in that final game Willard coached like he didn’t care about Marylands future," another fan tweeted.

"Coward," one fan tweeted.

Why Kevin Willard left Maryland

Kevin Willard was hired as the Maryland Terrapins coach in 2022 by then-athletic director Damon Evans. Evans offered Willard a new contract on March 16 with assurances about improving the Terrapins' NIL strength and revenue-sharing cap to allow Maryland to compete with other elite teams in college basketball.

A week after offering Willard a new deal, Evans left and took the SMU Mustangs athletic director's job. During a news conference after the Big Dance had started, Willard revealed why he had not signed the new contract amid speculation about his Maryland future.

"I need to make fundamental changes to the program," Kevin Willard said. "That's what I'm focused on right now. That's why probably a deal hasn't got done because I want to see -- I need to see fundamental changes done. I want this program to be great. I want it to be the best in the country, I want to win a national championship, but there's things that need to change.

"I need to make sure that we are where we are with NIL, and rev share is not where we've been with NIL over the past two years. We've been one of the worst, if not lowest, in the NIL in the last two years. So, that's first and foremost."

He further highlighted an instance where he wanted to spend an extra night in New York with his team after a road game, but his request was denied due to the expenses involved.

Kevin Willard finished his Maryland Terrapins career with a 65-39 record and led them to two NCAA Tournament appearances. This season, the Terrapins had a 27-9 overall record, which included a run to the Sweet 16.