By R.L. Bynum
Tommy Lloyd is emerging as one of the top candidates in North Carolina’s coaching search.
He’s gained a high profile at Arizona and built a national program in Tucson, Ariz., where his Wildcats were No. 1 for much of the season.
Lloyd won’t come cheaply, though, with an $11-million buyout if he leaves before April 15. Lloyd is signed through the 2029–30 season, earning roughly $4.4 million annually plus $700,000 in supplemental-duties compensation.
That isn’t as pricey as the buyouts for Alabama coach Nate Oats ($18 million before April 1 and $10 million after that) and Florida coach Todd Golden ($16 million), and with less baggage.
UNC may have to wait until after the Final Four to make its pitch to Lloyd. No. 1-seed and No. 2-ranked Arizona (34–2) faces No. 4-seed and No. 14-ranked Arkansas (28–8) at 8:45 Thursday (CBS) at the West Regional Sweet 16 in San Jose, and is favored by 7½ points.
Would the Wildcats winning the national championship make it harder for him to leave?
Lloyd deflected a question about his name being mentioned in association with the UNC job but didn’t deny interest during a Wednesday press conference.
“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” Lloyd said. “This team deserves my full focus, so there’s not one thing that is going to knock me off my path. I’m 100 percent focused on Arizona basketball and this program, and I can’t wait until the ball gets thrown up [Thursday], and then can’t wait to try to figure out a way to come out on top.”
Roy Williams famously said during a postgame interview on CBS that he didn’t give a s*it about North Carolina days before taking the Tar Heels job. During the ACC tournament, N.C. State coach claimed no interest in the LSU job, but reports suggest he might return to the school after one season with the Wolfpack.
Since taking over Arizona in 2021 after two decades assisting Williams’ friend Mark Few at Gonzaga, Lloyd has authored one of the most successful starts to a head‑coaching career in college basketball history.
Across five seasons, he is 146–35, the most wins for a Division I head coach in his first five years, delivering Pac‑12 titles in 2022 and 2023, Pac‑12 regular‑season crowns in 2022 and 2024, and the Big 12 regular‑season and tournament championships this season.
His team this season was the final major undefeated power-conference team. It is the kind of sustained, multi‑conference success that naturally places him near the top for an elite opening such as Carolina.
Lloyd has three connections to UNC in Caleb Love, Henri Veesaar and Steve Robinson.
Love flourished in two seasons under Lloyd after transferring from UNC. Veesaar was Love’s teammate for both of those seasons before having a stellar season at Carolina.
The connection becomes even stronger when considering that Lloyd’s staff at Arizona included Robinson, who joined him after not being included on the UNC staff when Hubert Davis became head coach.
Robinson spent four seasons with Lloyd, helping Arizona capture four conference championships and reach multiple Sweet 16s before retiring in 2025.
UNC’s interest is understandable: Lloyd is a proven culture‑builder, an excellent recruiter with global reach, and a coach who has already imprinted his methods on players who moved between Tucson and Chapel Hill.
With Robinson’s Carolina roots formerly embedded in Lloyd’s staff and strong personal relationships connecting recent players in both programs, the Arizona‑to‑UNC storyline seems logical.
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Photo via arizonawildcats.com
