It appears No. 8 seed Villanova's loss to No. 9 seed Utah State has been overshadowed by Kevin Willard's questionable behavior.
During the first half of Friday's game, Willard jokingly told CBS sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi that he was going to fire Villanova's staff due to their poor performance. It was pretty evident at the time that he was being sarcastic, albeit he didn't even crack a smile during that exchange.
"I’m going to fire my staff," Willard said. "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."
After Villanova lost 86-76 to Utah State, Willard once again suggested that he'll make changes to his staff this offseason.
"We gave up a big 3-pointer late," Willard told reporters during his postgame press conference. "I'm probably going to have to make some changes to my staff because of how bad we were."
That comment from Willard led to a reporter asking him if he's serious about firing his staff.
"It’s a joke," Willard replied. "I don't care. Welcome to my life."
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images.
Basketball fans aren't thrilled with Kevin Willard.
Judging by the responses to Willard's postgame press conference, his joke about firing Villanova's staff didn't sit well with the public.
"Kevin Willard says firing his staff was ‘a joke’ after saying it twice and looking dead serious. Classic non-apology deflection, zero accountability," one fan wrote on X.
"Doubling down on a joke after losing a tournament game. Absolute lunatic behavior," a second person commented.
"Dude was trying so hard to back track. So freaking unprofessional on his end. Just because he coaches college team doesn’t mean he can be that," a fan said.
"Every great leader I've ever met makes jokes about their staffs' livelihood on live TV," another fan sarcastically said.
"Tells unfunny joke at his colleagues’ expense in front of everyone. Plays victim. Seems like a cool guy," a social media user wrote.
Clearly, fans don't have any sympathy for Willard.
Willard finished his first season at Villanova with a 24-9 record and opening-round exit in the NCAA Tournament.
And yet, Willard's season will mostly be remembered for his poorly-timed joke on the biggest stage.
