Villanova made the right hire.
Despite the overblown media spectacle of Willard’s comments about his staff during an NCAA Tournament loss vs. Utah State last weekend, the Wildcats have the right man leading the way.
Willard has built successful programs at each stop. If you can take Maryland to the Sweet 16, you must be pretty good at your job. Whether it be Seton Hall or now Villanova, Willard has been able to right the ship and bring multiple programs back to the tournament.
But, there is a glaring
fact that is tough to ignore.
Willard brought Seton Hall to the tournament five times before doing it twice at Maryland. This year, Willard made it five appearances in the 8-9 matchup in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After this most recent loss, Willard is now 2-3 in those matchups. Even with victories, the road goes through the No. 1 seed in the second round. Willard has not led his teams to favorable spots in the bracket.
Another glaring fact, Willard is now 4-8 in the tournament. Last season became the first year where he won multiple games in one tournament.
What does this all mean?
Realistically, the short answer is nothing.
Willard was able to lead the Wildcats back to the tournament in year one, which he described as a good “first step.”
A good first step, that might be true, but the final two games of the year leave a bad taste in fans’ mouths. The Wildcats did not show up against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. That carried over in the first 10 minutes against Utah State. After building a 10-point lead in the second half, the Wildcats fell apart late. The inconsistencies were very clear over the final stretch of the season and this is something that will need to be improved.
Villanova is a storied program historically, including a 1985 title led by Rollie Massimino which is considered one of college basketball’s great upsets. However, Jay Wright is the man that turned the program into a blue blood over the last two decades. With Wright enjoying retirement, Villanova will need to rebuild itself. Willard has the experience and history of success needed to bring the Wildcats back.
Willard was brought in after a failed experiment with Kyle Neptune. Villanova missed the tournament three straight years under Neptune after Wright led the team to the Final Four in his final season.
With that being said, a 24-win season in year one can be viewed as a success. That will not last forever and Willard knows that. It is time to take the next step and it starts right away in 2026-27.
