The situation with Kevin Willard and the Maryland fanbase has officially reached a boiling point. As the team was heading off to the Sweet Sixteen matchup against 1-seed Florida on Thursday, March 27, 2025, Willard was booed by some of the Maryland fans who had gathered to cheer on the team. Not exactly an expected reception when your team is competing for a shot at the Elite Eight. You can see it in the video below. Maryland fans booed Kevin Willard at his send off 😭 — College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) March 27, 2025 pic.twitter.com/wIY1Xytb1O
Willard's future at Maryland has been in question for the last two weeks. It began ahead of the round one matchup against Grand Canyon, where Willard was extremely transparent with his thoughts during a press conference. He made it crystal clear that things needed to change at Maryland in order for him to feel good about the job, specifically as it relates to NIL and revenue sharing. During that same press conference, Willard also announced the departure of former AD Damon Evans before the school had made it official.
Those comments raised a lot of eyebrows among Maryland fans, but most of them were in Willard's corner at that point. His goal was to make sure that the Terrapins were competitive in today's college basketball landscape, and it sounded like he was doing everything he could to fight for it. But in recent days, that support from the fanbase has now turned to frustration. After being so transparent a week ago, Willard's reluctance to commit to Maryland publicly has led to further speculation—particularly as it relates to the head coaching vacancy at Villanova. It remains to be seen what the future holds for Willard, but it's getting harder and harder to see a scenario that keeps him in College Park. And with fans now openly calling for Willard to be fired as his team prepares for a Sweet Sixteen matchup tonight, it feels like the writing is on the wall.
Florida and Maryland commence the battle of reptiles in the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The No. 1 Gators (32-4) take on the No. 4 Terrapins (27-8) at 7:39 p.m. ET from the Chase Center in San Francisco with a chance to move on to the Elite Eight. Florida is coming off a blowout win over Norfolk State (95-69) and a comeback victory over two-time defending champs UConn (77-75) in the first two rounds. Meanwhile, Maryland opened the tournament with a win over Grand Canyon (81-49) and a controversial game-winner from Derik Queen against Colorado State (72-71).
While most people can quickly identify what a Gator is, many fans are going to wonder, "What exactly is a Terrapin?" The diamondback terrapin became Maryland's official state reptile in 1994. However, in 1932, then-football coach Dr. H. Curley Byrd recommended that it be used as the school mascot in response to the Diamondback's (school newspaper) search for a new "official mascot." Maryland teams were long the "Old Liners" before the search. Byrd, who hailed from Crisfield, Maryland, famous for its terrapins, liked the idea of the school's new nickname.
Testudo has been the official mascot of the University of Maryland for 80 years. While the mascot has been around for a while, the origin of its name is still a mystery. Here are three theories the school's website shares:
- The name's origin is that it was derived from the scientific classification for turtle, testudines.
- The name is from testudo gigantia, a species native to the African country Seychelles and the remote island Aldabra.
- The derivation of the word testudo itself comes from the Latin word for a protective shelter used for Roman soldiers’ heads, similar to a tortoise shell.
A 300-pound bronze terrapin sculpture was designed by Edwin C. Mayo, President of Gorham Manufacturing in Providence, Rhode Island, using a live diamondback as a guide. Mayo is also a former quarterback and a member of the Class of 1904. Testudo was introduced to the world on June 2, 1933. Initially, it was placed outside Ritchie Coliseum, but the mascot was left unguarded, which resulted in vandalistic crimes including painting, defacing the pedestal and kidnapping. In 1947, John Hopkins students captured Testudo, and Maryland students rushed to Baltimore to "lay siege" to the mascot's location. The siege turned into a party, even with 200 police officers called in to "control the riot." Two years later, Byrd, now the president, received a call from the University of Virginia for Maryland to remove Testudo from the lawn of a Virginia fraternity. To prevent future crimes, the mascot was stored in a campus carpentry shed until 1951. Eventually, students uprooted and carried Testudo to his new home, overlooking McKeldin Mall, in 1965. The mascot still resides there, where students rub its nose for good luck and even leave offerings during finals.
As the day of Maryland's matchup against the Gators unfolds, Bryan Nehman, WBAL Radio talk show host, voiced the frustration many Maryland fans feel regarding Kevin Willard's future. "Kevin Willard, the head coach, has used this opportunity to say, 'Give me some of this drama to make himself and maybe, perhaps, the program better.' He has used this opportunity to negotiate for a new contract or to get a better deal at another school. And that school is Villanova," Nehman remarked.
Willard was named head coach of the University of Maryland men's basketball program on March 21, 2022. Prior to Maryland, he spent 12 successful seasons as head coach at Seton Hall, leading them to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and earning accolades like Big East Coach of the Year. Rumors of Willard negotiating with Villanova for their head coaching job have been swirling for weeks. At first dismissed as mere contract negotiation tactics with Maryland, the ongoing speculation—paired with Willard's refusal to answer questions during press conferences—has only fueled the fire.
"But the more this goes on—in yesterday's press conference, he was asked numerous times about it, and he refused to answer," Nehman said. "And when asked to respond, he refused again." Willard's silence has been interpreted by many as confirmation of Villanova's interest, leaving Maryland fans fearing the loss of both their coach and the program's recent momentum.
Nehman, like other fans, points out that this situation is part of a larger pattern of instability within Maryland athletics. A revolving door of athletic directors, from Debbie Yow to Damon Evans, has left the department rudderless during critical times. With no current athletic director in place, the responsibility to handle this crisis falls squarely on University President Darryll Pines.
Nehman's plea is straightforward: Pines needs to demand clarity from Willard immediately. "Are you a Terp or a Wildcat?" Nehman asks rhetorically, voicing the question all fans want answered. "I don’t need to know tomorrow, right? I don’t need to know after the game. I need to know now. Because if you are not a Terp, if you’re going to be Villanova’s head coach, hit the bricks. I need a Maryland guy to coach this team. You’re done. That’s what frustrates me. It just angers me."
The betrayal runs deep for Maryland fans. Last year, amidst one of the program's worst seasons in decades, fans stood by Willard, believing in his vision for the future. Now, that trust feels misplaced. Speaking on his feeling of disillusionment, WBAL’s talk show host likened the situation to discovering red flags in a shaky relationship—you see the signs, but you want to believe it’ll work out. "It is like when you have a wife or a husband, a spouse, a significant other, and you suspect that they’re cheating on you. At first, you don’t want to believe it, but you start to notice things, and it doesn’t look good."
Nehman, like most Maryland fans, believes the university needs a coach who is fully committed to its success—someone who sees the program’s potential as worth fighting for, not just a stepping stone to other opportunities. With so much promise on the horizon, Maryland basketball cannot afford to lose its momentum. What’s at stake here is more than just a basketball season—it’s the trust and pride of a fan base who have endured years of drama. If Willard is hedging his bets, it’s time to move on. Maryland needs a coach who is a Terp through and through.
