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Christopher Boan writes for BetMaryland.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.2021-08-02
Maryland Basketball Head Coach Candidates: Who Will The Terrapins Hire For Next Season If Willard Leaves?
Fresh off the program’s first Sweet 16 trip since 2016, it seems like Maryland Terrapins men’s basketball fans have little in the way of relief. Head coach Kevin Willard has long been rumored to be the next man up at Villanova.
While we’re still playing the waiting game on Willard’s future in College Park, BetMaryland.com went ahead and compiled a list of potential candidates should the Terps need a new head coach; possible candidates with local ties such as Luke Murray of UConn and Tony Skinn at George Mason lead early.
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Maryland Basketball Head Coach Candidate Odds
Coach | Current Position | Percentage Chance | Odds |
Luke Murray | UConn Assistant Coach | 22.2% | +350 |
Tony Skinn | George Mason Head Coach | 20.0% | +400 |
Duane Simpkins | American U. Head Coach | 14.3% | +600 |
Buzz Williams | Texas A&M Head Coach | 10.0% | +900 |
Mark Byington | Vanderbilt Head Coach | 7.7% | +1200 |
Chris Collins | Northwestern Head Coach | 7.7% | +1200 |
The Field |
| 13.3% | +650 |
These hypothetical odds were developed as part of the Maryland sports betting coverage at BetMaryland.com; they will not be found with the state’s sportsbook operators.
Who Might Maryland Hire If Willard Leaves?
After a three-year run at Maryland where he has won 65 games and posted a .625 winning percentage, Willard might choose to exit stage left. If he does (rumors have him interested in the Villanova head coaching vacancy), that opens the door for an up-and-coming coach to take his place in 2025.
That’s exactly the type of candidate that we see Maryland landing, as the list of candidates above would indicate. BetMaryland.com is your home for sports analysis and real money Maryland sportsbook promo codes too.
Top picks such as Murray (+350) and Skinn (+400) lead our list, followed by American University head coach Duane Simpkins (+600) and Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams (+900).
Longshots to keep an eye on in College Park include former JMU and first-year Vanderbilt head coach Mark Byington, who clocks in at +1200, alongside Chris Collins of Northwestern, with plenty of top-tier candidates for the Terps to choose from this offseason.
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More About The Top Possible Candidates
Murray (the son of comedian Bill Murray) has been an assistant coach across Division I hoops since 2009. We say his odds of getting the Maryland job, if they were available at Maryland sports betting apps, would translate to a 22.2% implied probability.
Murray made stops at Arizona, Wagner, Towson, Rhode Island, Xavier and Louisville before joining Danny Hurley’s staff in Storrs in 2021. Murray has never been a college head coach, but he was a part of Hurley’s staff that won consecutive national championships in 2023 and 2024.
Skinn’s first college head coaching job came at his alma mater, which he led to the Final Four in 2006 as a senior guard. The 42-year-old Maryland native was an assistant with four colleges between 2015 and 2023 before coming home to Fairfax, Virginia. At GMU, Skinn has led the Patriots to consecutive 20-win seasons, capped by this year’s 27-9 finish in the Atlantic 10, potentially opening the door to him crossing the Potomac to coach the Terps in 2025.
With the Sweet 16 ongoing (there are four games tonight), BetMGM Maryland Sportsbook lists Duke as the favorite to win the national title at +180 odds, followed by Florida (+275), the team that eliminated the Terps on Thursday.
For now, we’re left to play the waiting game on Willard as the third-year Maryland head coach decides what to do, potentially paving the way for a new head coach in College Park.
USA Today photo by Eakin Howard
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