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The intensity of March Madness often leads to a lot of emotions. A huge coping mechanism for coaches and players alike is making jokes while facing adversity. Coach Kevin Willard did just that during halftime in the Villanova Wildcats' first round game against the Utah State Aggies. Clearly, he did not mean what was said about firing his staff but it looks like huge changes may be in order after the NCAA Tournament when people look into the numbers more.
Villanova coaching exposed in March Madness
"I am going to fire my staff. Yeah, I am... The only thing I am going to do is fire them," were the exact words that Willard said after allowing 16 points in the paint at the half.
The Wildcats crumbled in their 86-76 loss Utah State and fail to advance in the Round of 62 in March Madness. However, there were a lot of problems and it was not just at scoring in the interior.
Villanova was outhustled on nearly every front by Utah State. Coach Willard's players only managed to notch 25 rebounds while their opponents grabbed 34 of them. The deeper problem? Well, they could not end defensive possessions well. These No. 9 Utah State players got an insane 26 defensive rebounds which prevented the Wildcats from getting any sort of momentum. Villanova only got 15 defensive rebounds.
Their transition defense was also a point of concern. Both teams turned the ball over eight times but Utah State managed to score 18 points off those turnovers. 14 of those points came from the fastbreak too. A lot of the Villanova players were gassed and got picked apart after a bad offensive possession. The Wildcats might have just been giving up those fastbreak opportunities and hitting back, right? Well, that was not exactly the case. Villanova only converted nine points off turnovers and scored two fastbreak points.
Those woes by Coach Willard at halftime did get patched up but the disparity was too large already. They only scored 26 points in the paint while giving up 42 points off of makes in the interior. Another point of concern was the fact that they were not careful in defending Utah State. The result was a rough 21 personal fouls which prevented them from gaining momentum early on.
A lot of positives still shined in the March Madness bout for Villanova. They ended up sinking 46.7% of their three-pointers out of 30 attempts. Arguably, this adjustment was why they got close in the second half before running out of time. These same problems were exposed by the Georgetown Hoyas during the Big East Tournament too.
If they don't fix this immediately, Willard's joke might turn into reality after they a disappointing March Madness run. After all, Villanova has entrusted him with a seven-year deal that's worth $29 million.
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