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Report: Kevin Willard leaving Maryland for Big East job

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Mar 30, 2025 9:33 AM ET

Maryland men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard is reportedly expected to leave the team after just three seasons.

Willard’s Terrapins were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in their Sweet 16 showdown against Florida at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif. But even before Maryland’s ouster from March Madness, there were already rumors linking Willard to Villanova.

On Saturday, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein reported that a Maryland team meeting is scheduled for Sunday morning. Per the report, Willard is expected to inform the program that he is indeed taking the Villanova job.

Sources: Maryland has scheduled a team meeting for Sunday AM.

The expectation is that Kevin Willard informs the Terps that he’s leaving College Park for Villanova.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 30, 2025

Willard was hired as Maryland’s head coach in 2022 following the abrupt exit of Mark Turgeon midway through the previous 2021-22 season. Willard led the Terrapins to a 22-13 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first year at the helm.

After a middling second season, Willard led Maryland to a stellar 27-9 record in his third year — the program’s best mark in nearly a decade.

Willard will replace Kyle Neptune, who was fired after three seasons as Villanova’s head coach.

The Wildcats have struggled since the departure of legendary head coach Jay Wright in 2022. Villanova has failed to make the NCAA Tournament since Neptune took over for Wright.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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