SAN FRANCISCO — The Maryland men’s basketball team will play the program’s biggest game in nearly a decade Thursday, and the future of the coach who led the Terps there is still uncertain.

Kevin Willard, speaking at a news conference at Chase Center ahead of fourth-seeded Maryland’s Sweet 16 game against top-seeded Florida, again declined to confirm he would return as the Terps’ coach next season. Asked for an update Thursday on the contract negotiations that have dragged on for over a week, at times dominating the discourse around Maryland’s NCAA tournament run, Willard said little, marking an abrupt change in his public relations strategy.

“Yeah, we’re playing Florida,” said Willard, who has been linked to Villanova’s opening since the Wildcats fired Kyle Neptune in mid-March. “We’re playing Florida. It’s a big matchup for us. This is all about the Sweet 16 and these guys enjoying this as much as possible. I’ve enjoyed it tremendously. I do love this town. It’s a great town. Great food.”

A day after saying in a radio interview that, “as of right now,” he planned to remain in College Park, Willard was less forthcoming about his expectations for the program.

Willard told Washington’s 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday that he “absolutely” expected to receive the resources he needed to stay at Maryland. But 10 days after reports emerged that the university and then-athletic director Damon Evans were working on a new contract for Willard that would make him one of the sport’s highest-paid coaches and increase the program’s revenue-share budget, Willard does not have a deal.

A question Wednesday about his public posturing for a greater slice of Maryland’s $20.5 million revenue-sharing pie, which would likely come at the expense of the football team, led to a straight-faced breakdown of All-America guard Walter Clayton Jr., Florida’s top player.

“Well, I’ll be honest, I think our biggest thing is, we’ve got to stop Clayton,” Willard said. “He’s really good. He shoots the baskteball going left 48%. He shoots it right going at, like, 38%. So really, the last couple of days, trying to come up with a game plan to stop Clayton, because I just think he’s one of the best guards in the country that we’ve seen. And then really, obviously, trying to fix our rebounding woes has been at the top of my mind, too. So, yeah, it’s a big problem.”

Willard has acknowledged that Evans’ departure last week for the same position at Southern Methodist has complicated negotiations, but he expressed optimism Tuesday about his conversations with deputy athletic director and Chief Strategy Officer Brian Ullmann.

“He’s the first guy that’s actually sat down with me, talked to me and really found out what my concerns [are] and what I really wanted,” Willard said on 106.7 The Fan. “Because it’s not a contractual thing for me. It’s more of a program thing for me. And Brian and I are on the same page. He has been awesome. He has put a lot of what I’ve felt over the last three years about the program — I think he’s finally starting to understand where I want this program to go."

A day later, Willard offered no clues on whether he planned to be a part of that future. He was worried about Florida and Clayton. A loss Thursday would lead him one step closer to whatever is next. A win would get him to the doorstep of the Final Four — and another news conference with questions about his professional limbo.