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Maryland coach Kevin Willard unleashed a postgame rant at the NCAA Tournament Friday following the Terrapins' first-round win over Grand Canyon. Willard, who prior to his team's March Madness debut made headlines with his comments on Maryland administration and his contract negotiations, pushed back on the discourse surrounding his job and program.
Reports this week indicated Willard is a top candidate for the Villanova head coach opening, and those links are at the crux of the postseason dramatics at Maryland. Willard also previously said that he had yet to sign an amended contract at Maryland because athletic director Damon Evans was set to depart for SMU. He was additionally outspoken about his frustration with the administration over program funds.
"There's no situation here," Willard said after Friday's game. "The only situation is you guys and Twitter. And I can't control you guys, and I can't control Twitter. I've talked to these guys. These guys know exactly what's going on. I've been open with them. I've been honest with them. They know exactly what's going on."
According to InsideMDSports, Willard bemoaned Maryland's NIL planning and Evans' apparent plans to allot $14 million of its $20.5 million revenue-sharing budget on football and $4 million for basketball. The Terps coach also specifically recalled Maryland administration pushing back, over financial concerns, on his request to spend an additional night in New York with the team earlier this season to celebrate Christmas.
"I can't control you guys," said Willard. "Whatever I say, you're going to write whatever you want to say, anyways. That's why this is a waste of my time. I mean, we have a website that might as well be TMZ. So I can't do anything about it. I can't do anything about Twitter. I can't do anything about what's going on. I can handle what I can handle.
But he didn't comment on his planned future at Maryland.
"We were focused. I'm excited to be here. I'm excited to be with these guys. There's nothing else to talk about. You guys just write whatever the hell you want to write about. I don't give a [expletive]. I really don't. I'll probably get a letter from the NCAA on that one."
Willard took the Maryland job in 2022 after a lengthy and successful run at Seton Hall. He guided the Terps to two NCAA Tournament berths over his first three years at the helm, and he constructed this season his best roster to date. Five-star freshman Derik Queen and the "Crab Five" finished second in the Big Ten regular-season standings and earned a No. 4 seed in the Big Dance.
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"I didn't say anything that's false," Willard said. "I just wanted to make — I had the same conversation with these guys. This is what's going on, my job to the University of Maryland, to our season ticket holders, to my donors, is to try to make this program the best it can be."