Willard, the former Seton Hall coach, was booed at his send-off ahead of the Florida Sweet 16 game as Maryland fans became increasingly irritated with his recent comments and the perception that he was dissing the school in the middle of the NCAA Tournament.

One well-known Maryland alumnus said he understood why now-former men's basketball coach Kevin Willard left the program but still slammed the way he exited College Park.

Every step of Kevin Willard’s journey to Villanova from Maryland should be instructive and sobering. It should strip away any remaining sentimentality about the world of college basketball and how Villanova’s leaders view the Wildcats’ place in it.

Kevin Willard is on the move and some of his former players are, too. Four Maryland players entered the transfer portal on Monday, and some of them could end up following the former Seton Hall coach to his new spot at Villanova.

Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Baltimore is doing its best to boost Maryland's NIL support at the expense of its former basketball coach. The restaurant added

Freshman center Derik Queen, who made an incredible buzzer-beater to send the Terps to the Sweet Sixteen, reacted emotionally to Willard’s departure, posting a four-emoji response. Queen and Willard were believed to have had a close relationship, so the departure of his head coach may have hit him particularly hard.

“Coach Willard led the Terps on an incredible run this season. The Crab 5, Derik Queen ‘s miraculous buzzer-beater, and a Sweet 16 berth. This was a season to remember,” Maryland President Darryll J. Pines and Interim Director of Athletics Colleen Sorem said in a statement.”

Maryland fans aren’t sorry to see Kevin Willard go to Villanova, but the the university shouldn’t ignore lessons from his abrupt departure.