When Mark Pope came back to Lexington last April to succeed John Calipari as the Kentucky men’s basketball head coach, the contract Pope agreed to with UK included specific sections that would come into play if Pope was able to guide the Wildcats to the Sweet 16.

We’ll be talking about these guys 10 years from now as the guys that came in here and set a standard of what this is supposed to be … .”

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope talks to the media after the Wildcats' 78-65 loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament on March 28, 2025, in Indianapolis.

At one point, the Villanova Wildcats were viewed as the top team in the Big East and one of the best all-around basketball programs in the country. However, since Jay Wright retired from coaching in 2022,

Kevin Willard, the new Villanova men's basketball coach After missing three consecutive NCAA tournaments, Villanova was ready for a change. Maryland’s Kevin Willard will replace Kyle Neptune as the school’s new head men’s basketball coach.

After a week of speculation that often overshadowed his team's run to the Sweet 16, Maryland men's basketball coach Kevin Willard is leaving College Park to become the head coach at Villanova, according to multiple media reports.