ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas is not afraid to share his opinion – nor should he be, as he's almost always in the right – but he missed the point on Sunday morning. As Maryland head coach Kevin Willard left for Villanova in a (for the most part) classy way, Bilas took a notable shot at head coaches switching schools in general.
"The Coaches’ Portal is ALWAYS open. The question is, why isn’t the NCAA system complaining about 'tampering,' 'commitment,' or 'loyalty' as it does with player decisions? That’s what hypocrisy looks like. If you want players to stay in place, collectively bargain or sign them to contracts," Bilas wrote.
While coaches should definitely be held to the same standard as their players, Willard did technically leave during the players' transfer portal window. He waited until the season was over, and made a decision. Much like players in the transfer portal, Willard weighed his options and chose Villanova over Maryland. Given the basketball culture at Nova and their NIL budget, it's tough to blame him for cashing on on the Terrapins run.
Jay Bilas missed the point, but is on right side of college basketball history
Bilas is on the right side of history in collegiate athletics in that most of us (at this point) shouldn't have problem with players being paid or switching schools without penalty. However, what the NCAA and its partners ought to figure out is how to alleviate this system so smaller schools aren't taken advantage of. There's a reason the NCAA Tournament featured few upsets this season. If your bracket was majority chalk, congrats on winning your pool. For the rest of us, we love the Madness in part because of unpredictable upsets, especially in the early rounds.
One such team that made the tournament only to lose in the first round was No. 15 seed Robert Morris. The Colonials made Alabama sweat in the first round, proving the Moon Township squad had put together a solid roster through years of development and scouting. With the season now over, the entirety of the Robert Morris starting lineup has entered the portal. How is Andrew Toole supposed to replace that kind of talent year over year?
There are more basketball players in the portal this year than ever before, and that's likely to grow in 2026 and beyond if there aren't some concrete rules put in place. If the NCAA – as a supposed governing body – cannot figure this out, they risk mid majors becoming a farm system for power-conference programs.
The good news is there is a way to do this without capping players from transfering whenever they'd like. Some form of salary system – especially one that rewards players with the money they earn schools in tournaments like March Madness – would be beneficial for everyone.