Villanova head coach Kevin Willard was not really happy with his coaching staff during the No. 8-seeded Wildcats’ West Region first-round game against the No. 9-seeded Utah State Aggies.
After seeing his Wildcats get bounced out of the NCAA Men’s Tournament on Friday, 86-76, it’s hard to believe that Willard wasn’t much happier when Villanova headed to the locker room after the final buzzer.
HC Kevin Willard Blasts Villanova Coaching Staff
During the Villanova-Utah State game, CBS Sports sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi chatted it up with Willard. He didn’t hold back in his criticisms one bit. As Shehadi and Willard were talking, the CBS Sports’ graphics department let viewers know that Villanova had been outscored 16-2 in the paint at that point.
“Coach, 16 paint points for Utah State,” Shehadi said. “How do you keep them out?”
“I’m gonna fire my staff,” Willard said. “Not now,” Shehadi replied. “Well yeah, I am because we’ve given up 8 points on underneath out-of-bounds defense. So, the only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”
Villanova HC Kevin Willard: “I’m gonna fire my staff.”
Lauren Shehadi: “Not now.”
Willard: “Yeah, I am. Because we’ve given up 8 points on underneath out-of-bounds defense. The only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.” #MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/z9OvxS0Yy4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 20, 2026
At that point, Willard turned and walked away from Shehadi.
After the game, though, Willard, when meeting with reporters, simply said, “It’s a joke,” when a reporter asked Willard about his comments. Even during the press conference itself, Willard intimated that some staff changes might need to be made.
Kevin Willard says that firing his staff “was a joke” after doubling down in the post game press conference 😅 https://t.co/sPOCFCwjmA pic.twitter.com/IuDE83RArG
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 20, 2026
Villanova held a 39-37 halftime lead, but Utah State outscored the Wildcats 49-37 in the second half to seal the deal. Mason Falslev led the Aggies in scoring with 22 points, and teammate MJ Collins Jr. had 20.
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Who’s next for Utah State? None other than West Region No. 1 seed Arizona, which beat Long Island 92-58 in a first-round game. That second-round game takes place on Sunday at Viejas Arena in San Jose, Calif.
Bryce Lindsay finished with 25 points for Villanova, while teammates Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins added 15 apiece. In the 2025-26 Big East Conference regular-season standings, the Wildcats finished in third place behind the St. John’s Red Storm and UConn Huskies. Villanova finishes its season with a 24-9 overall record.
While Willard made those comments during the game itself, Villanova fans now have to wonder if their head coach really will go through with a staff reorganization.
Wildcats fans still hold dear their NCAA championship back in 1985 when Rollie Massimino was their head coach. Also, toss in those two NCAA titles with Jay Wright as head coach in 2016 and 2018, too. Now, they have to wait until next season for Villanova to make another run toward the tournament.
