SAN ANTONIO -- Before taking the Villanova job this past weekend, Kevin Willard had a phone conversation with Jay Wright from the back of Willard’s deck.

One of the deciders in the process was none other than Jay Wright, Willard’s former adversary over a decade coaching at Seton Hall. After formal conversations with university President Rev. Peter Donohue and athletic director Eric Roedl, Willard fired up the old Big East phone tree Saturday night.

The Villanova Wildcats have hired Maryland's Kevin Willard as their new coach. Willard had been linked to the Villanova job throughout the NCAA Tournament, where the Terrapins earned a No. 4 seed and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Florida.

Once a Big East guy, always a Big East guy'. Plus: 3 takeaways that no one else noticed from Kevin Willard's first presser as Villanova coach

One New York Knicks star believes that the Villanova Wildcats' new pick for head coach is up to scratch. Josh Hart put forth a vote of confidence for the colleg

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.

From Eric Dixon breaking the program's all-time scoring record to Kevin Willard being named the head coach, all eyes are on Villanova this week at the College Basketball Crown.

Maryland is hiring Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams to succeed Kevin Willard, according to CBS Sports analyst Jon Rothstein. The Aggies coach will take over a program without a sitting athletic director after Maryland AD Damon Evans left for the same job at SMU last month.