Perhaps Villanova head coach Kevin Willard regrets saying this one out loud.
During a sideline interview midway through Villanova’s 86-76 loss against Utah State in the first round of March Madness on Friday, Willard joked that he was going to fire his coaching staff.
“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard wildly quipped on the TNT broadcast after being asked what his team was going to do to stop the Aggies’ dominance in the paint. “Yeah, I am because we’ve given up eight points on out-of-bounds defense. The only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”
Villanova was down 22-16 with 11:00 left in the first half when the interview was conducted, which likely contributed to Willard’s frustration.
Willard, a Huntington native, is in his first season at the helm of the Wildcats, leading them to a 24-9 record, their best since the 2021-22 season, which was the last time Villanova reached the NCAA Tournament under longtime head coach Jay Wright.
Ahead of this year’s March Madness, Willard issued a subtle warning to his players about the transfer portal.
“For the most part, really enjoy it,” Willard told reporters Thursday. “You’re one of 68 teams to make it to the best tournament, arguably, in all of sports. Really enjoy it because next year, you’re not promised it.
“They could leave this program and go to another one and be on a bad team. If they stay here, they won’t be on a bad team.”
The Wildcats wound up getting outscored by 12 points in the second half, which paved the way for the Aggies to pull off the win.
Junior guard Mason Falslev led the way for Utah State, scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds while shooting 9-of-16 from the field.
Utah State is now set to face off against Arizona, which defeated Long Island in a 92-58 blowout win on Friday afternoon.
