Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd addressed speculation Wednesday connecting him to the vacant North Carolina coaching position, emphasizing his dedication to his current team ahead of their upcoming tournament game.
Speaking to reporters in San Jose, California, the day before his top-seeded Wildcats face fourth-seeded Arkansas in the Sweet 16, Lloyd emphasized the value of his current position.
“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” Lloyd stated during the press conference. “And one thing we talk about in our program all the time — and I think I’ve gotten better at it, and I think our team’s been crushing it this year — is just the ability to have full focus and be present in the moment.”
The 51-year-old coach has emerged as a leading candidate for the North Carolina position following Hubert Davis’s dismissal, which came after the Tar Heels’ first-round NCAA Tournament elimination by VCU.
Lloyd stopped short of making any definitive statements about remaining at Arizona, though coaching search situations frequently result in contract improvements for coaches linked to openings.
Currently in his second year of a five-year deal earning $5.1 million annually, Lloyd would face an $11 million buyout if he departed before April 15. His team’s 34-2 record this season falls just one victory short of the program’s best mark established during the 1987-88 season.
“I think we have a chance to advance in this tournament game by game, but I’m not delusional,” Lloyd explained. “I know we could lose tomorrow, but this team deserves my full focus. So, there’s not one thing that is going to knock me off my path. I’m 100% focused on Arizona basketball and this program, and I can’t wait till the ball gets thrown up tomorrow and then can’t wait to try to figure out a way to come out on top.”
Lloyd brings a 146-35 record into the matchup against Arkansas. During his Arizona coaching career, he has experienced three Sweet 16 exits and one first-round loss to Princeton in 2023.
