Villanova coach Kevin Willard doubles down on comments about firing staff, then says ‘it’s a joke’

Villanova head coach Kevin Willard made comments that went viral during the team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Utah State on Friday evening.

During an in-game interview in the first half, Willard was very frustrated about the Wildcats’ inability to stop Utah State’s baseline out-of-bounds (BLOB) plays.

Willard told TNT Sports’ Lauren Shehadi, “I’m gonna fire my staff… Yeah, I am. Because we’ve given up eight points on underneath out-of-bounds defense. The only thing I’m gonna do is fire them and get a new staff.”

That was when Utah State had a 22-16 lead. The Aggies would go on to beat the Wildcats 86-76.

After the game, Willard doubled down on his comments about firing the coaching staff before claiming that “it’s a joke.”

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

“Yeah, I’m probably going to have to make some changes to my staff, just because of how bad we were,” Willard said to a reporter during his postgame press conference.

The next reporter said to Willard, “You just mentioned making changes to your staff.”

Willard interjected: “It’s a joke.”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to ask you about,” the reporter continued. “You gave an interview during the game. It went viral. You’re being criticized pretty heavily online.”

“I don’t care,” Willard said. “Welcome to my life. It’s a joke.”

A few people that you can be sure aren’t laughing about the comments: Villanova’s assistant coaches.

For the second straight NCAA Tournament, Willard is back in the headlines. Last year, Maryland’s Sweet 16 run included frequent rumors that Willard would leave that job to take the same position at Villanova, which he did right shortly after the Terrapins’ NCAA Tournament exit. The handling of his departure was heavily criticized.