Kevin Willard is leaving his position as Maryland men’s basketball coach after three seasons to take the same job at Villanova, the schools announced Sunday, ending a saga that started just before the Terrapins began play in the NCAA tournament this month and stretched through their exit in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.
The move, which was first reported by InsideMDSports early Sunday morning, comes on the heels of fourth-seeded Maryland falling to top-seeded Florida in the West Region semifinals in San Francisco. The loss ended the Terps’ longest run in the NCAA tournament in nine years, one that was accompanied by myriad distractions.