Villanova coach Kevin Willard jokes about firing staff after first-round NCAA tournament loss
Eighth-seeded Villanova lost 86-76 to ninth-seeded Utah State in a first-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on Friday at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California.[1]
During the game, Villanova head coach Kevin Willard was interviewed by TNT sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi about Utah State's early dominance in the paint. Willard said, "I'm going to fire my staff," citing poor out-of-bounds defense that allowed eight points underneath. Shehadi responded, "Not now." Willard repeated, "Yeah, I am," adding that he would fire them and get a new staff.
Following the loss, Willard reiterated in his post-game press conference: "We gave up a big three late. I'm probably going to have to make some changes to my staff just because of how bad we were."
When another reporter began to question the remarks, Willard interrupted: "It's a joke. God bless it." Addressing online criticism, he said, "I don't care. Welcome to my life. It's a joke."
The exchange drew mixed reactions on social media, with some users criticizing Willard for appearing serious initially before dismissing the comments.
Kevin Willard joined Villanova for the 2025-26 season after three previous seasons at Maryland. This NCAA tournament appearance marked his eighth as a head coach; his previous seven came at Seton Hall, where his teams reached the Sweet 16 twice but never the Elite Eight.[2]
Villanova competes in the Big East Conference and has won three national championships (1985, 2016, 2018).[3] Utah State represents the Mountain West Conference.[4]
Viejas Arena is the home court of San Diego State University.[1]
Sources
- Imagn Images / Associated Press (via draft context); Wikipedia, "Viejas Arena", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viejas_Arena
- Wikipedia, "Kevin Willard", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Willard
- Wikipedia, "Villanova Wildcats men's basketball", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villanova_Wildcats_men%27s_basketball
- Wikipedia, "Utah State Aggies men's basketball", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_State_Aggies_men%27s_basketball
