With Tommy Lloyd-to-UNC rumors, it’s a nervous week for Arizona fans

Tommy Lloyd got the Arizona Wildcats over the hump and to the Final Four. Him, the coach and recruiter.

So, as it happens when you have nice things, time to think about the worst-case scenario from here.

What if the Wildcats can’t beat Michigan on Saturday? Regardless of that result, what if North Carolina’s big-game hunting in its coaching search leads to UNC introducing Lloyd as the Tar Heels’ head coach by next Tuesday?

Lloyd showed just how much he gets Tucson in the aftermath of the Elite Eight win, when he stole a microphone to make sure fans know the program-building credit in a large part goes to the late Lute Olson.

In the postgame presser, Lloyd even thanked Sean Miller for keeping the flame alive. But he also gave this assessment about how the Arizona program is much bigger than him:

“The sun may be shining on this team and me coaching it right now,” he said. “When it’s shining on you, you got to fight like hell to protect it and build it … for those who came before me and for those who are going to follow after me. Arizona’s going to have another good coach after me, I promise you. The place is special.”

In the context of Lloyd’s credit to Olson and even Miller, that comment minimized his role in all this.

But in the context of the cutthroat nature of coaching, it was either a warning shot at his own athletic director or a comment with an unsettling naivety, considering he knows he was linked to the North Carolina opening the moment Hubert Davis was fired.

North Carolina’s willingness to show patience in chasing big-buyout guys like Lloyd ($9 million) and desire to move outside the Tar Heel family looms.

Lloyd didn’t take his name out of the running for the UNC opening after Davis was fired, whether that was a leveraging move to get more internal support or a shrug because he’s truly locked into the present.

“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” Lloyd said. “One thing we talk about in our program all the time — and I think I’ve gotten better at, and I think our team’s been crushing it this year — is the ability to have full focus and to be present in the moment.”

On Monday, an Instagram “like” by Lloyd’s son, former Arizona walk-on Liam Lloyd, caught the attention of one North Carolina-based reporter, who purposely or not left out a key part of the social media post’s caption.

Liam Lloyd has now unliked the post.

— Grant Hughes (@GrantHughesNC) March 30, 2026

Liam Lloyd apparently unliked the post soon after, but it is noise nonetheless.

After Tommy Lloyd was quickly named to North Carolina’s list of favorites, Arizona athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said she hoped he’d retire as a Wildcat.

Seems she understands the stakes. If Lloyd dips for North Carolina, it would be hard to imagine Reed-Francois being well-received around Tucson.

The Field of 68 founder Jeff Goodman, a long-time college basketball reporter, said when the UNC gig opened that Lloyd is “not enamored with some of the administrators in Tucson right now.”

Current Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb added on The Colin Cowherd Podcast that the rumor mill suggested a very famous Tar Heel product named Michael Jordan had a call out to Lloyd this week. Gottlieb added that Arizona’s resources aren’t in all that great of shape.

Side payment doors for media duties, a Nike deal and NIL funds have helped Arizona pay coaches and players in different ways, and this year’s strong recruiting class at least makes it appear Lloyd is navigating any limitations just fine.

Regardless of whether UNC’s own athletic department is also a mess (how is that Bill Belichick hire going?), there is enough here to cause worry for Arizona fans.

We haven’t even gotten to the nearer future: How does this basketball team perform?

So far this NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have chewed through opponents thanks to the coaching staff’s player development (Mo Krivas), transfer-portal magic (Jaden Bradley), plus recruiting at home (Koa Peat) and afar (Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov).

The narrative of Arizona eschewing analytics by being reluctant to shoot threes has been framed a little bit incorrectly.

Lloyd’s staff has leaned into analytics, prioritizing winning possession volume and shot accuracy. The Wildcats have yet to be decimated by three-point differential, defending the three-point line well and winning the free-throw differential to even things out.

They rank second nationally in two-point attempts, two-point makes, free-throw makes and defensive rebounds per game this season. They shoot 11% better than opponents on two-pointers for the season and make seven more points per game at the foul line than opponents.

Arizona beats the daylights out of opponents by winning the two-point efficiency battle.

The Wolverines, however, can match the Wildcats’ size and athleticism. They are fifth in two-point accuracy this year. They do not foul much, nor do they need to. And they defend.

If you’re a Wildcat fan idiodically believing Arizona will cruise past Michigan, then prepare afterward for 2005 memories of blowing a big lead to Illinois or a 2011 highlight of Jamelle Horne’s go-ahead shot rimming out against UConn.

Champagne problems, but still very traumatic stuff.

Lloyd’s unwavering attitude built his toughest and most talented team yet.

Still, it’s hard not to be distracted by the noise of worst-case scenarios, all during a best-case tournament run so far.

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