INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd definitively put an end to all the North Carolina speculation on Friday.
The 51-year-old coach of the Wildcats announced at his early afternoon press conference that he will not be going to UNC and has instead agreed to terms of a new contract with the University of Arizona. Lloyd had played coy and was noncommittal multiple times earlier this week when asked about the vacant UNC job and his public connection to the opening, stirring understandable anxiety for the U of A fan base.
“I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium during the press conference before the Wildcats’ game on Saturday vs. Michigan in the Final Four. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple (of) days. Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart.”
The school later announced Lloyd’s new contract.
Sources told CBS Sports that Lloyd was North Carolina’s No. 1 target upon Hubert Davis’ formal firing on March 24, and that UNC’s aggressive push combined with some major details to be worked out at Arizona led to more than a week’s worth of negotiating between Lloyd’s camps and the school. Outgoing UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham made multiple attempts to reel in Lloyd, who’s won more games through his first five seasons (148) than any men’s college basketball coach in history.
The Tar Heels job is considered one of the very best in college basketball, and as such, UNC was prepared to offer Lloyd one of the richest contracts in the sport. Lloyd will be taking less money to remain at Arizona, though sources say his new salary will be $7.2 million annually, which would be No. 4 among public school coaches (private schools such as Duke do not disclose salary numbers). Lloyd’s pay for the 2025-26 season was $4.85 million.
“It’s an honor to even be considered for that job,” Lloyd said. “The young kid, for me the college basketball junkie watching those games at home, never would have thought something like that could have happened to somebody like me. North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I appreciate them for the way they’ve handled this.”
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Lloyd is in for the long haul at Arizona thanks to a major condition of his new deal: Lloyd will no longer report to his athletic director, Desireé Reed-Francois and will instead report to Arizona president Suresh Garimella. Lloyd’s working relationship with Reed-Francois has faced serious friction in recent years due to battles of NIL and staff benefits.
Lloyd’s new deal is expected to be for five years, with a boost in salary pool for assistants and an incentive structure for his coaching staff as well.
With Lloyd operating from a position of extreme leverage, he was able to do what he wanted the whole thing: stay in Tucson. He’s brought Arizona to its first Final Four in 25 years and is two wins away from the school’s second national championship.
“Tommy Lloyd is the best coach in college basketball, and we have a strong conviction in the future of Arizona Basketball under his leadership,” Reed-Francois said in a release. “Our program’s success this season — winning championships, competing on the sport’s biggest stage and excelling academically — is a testament to the standard that he and his staff have established. He has recruited and developed student-athletes of character who make a positive impact on our team, our campus and our community. Tommy has strengthened our foundation while honoring the tradition that makes Arizona Basketball one of the premier programs in the country, and we are thrilled that he will continue to lead this program at the highest level for years to come.”
Tommy Lloyd’s career record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Arizona | 33–4 | 18–2 1st, Pac-12 | NCAAT Sweet 16 |
| 2022–23 | Arizona | 28–7 | 14–6 T2nd, Pac-12 | NCAAT First round |
| 2023–24 | Arizona | 27–9 | 15–5 1st, Pac-12 | NCAAT Sweet 16 |
| 2024–25 | Arizona | 24–13 | 14–6 T3rd, Big 12 | NCAAT Sweet 16 |
| 2025–26 | Arizona | 36–2 | 16–2 1st, Big 12 | currently in Final Four |
Lloyd had mostly stayed quiet on the subject of UNC before Friday, avoiding several opportunities to firmly deny his candidacy. But Thursday night, at a private party featuring Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mike, Lloyd took the microphone and said: “I love all you guys, I love being the coach at Arizona, and let’s find a way to kick some ass on Saturday.”
With Lloyd now out of the running at Carolina, the search will now shift to Michigan coach Dusty May, who coincidentally enough will match wits against on Saturday night in the second semifinal here at the Final Four. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan is the other top candidate that North Carolina has on its board, sources said, though Donovan will not seriously engage with the school until the end of the Bulls’ season April 12.
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May spoke before Lloyd on Friday, continuing his general non-response to these questions: “After last year, I decided I will never, ever respond to any job speculation,” May said. “I’m never going to comment on any job that I don’t have. I think it’s well-documented how happy I am at Michigan.”
Lloyd will be the first to talk up what North Carolina offers as a job, even in the same breath that he spurned the Heels.
“North Carolina is an amazing place,” Lloyd said Friday. “I mean, it’s a one of one. It’s an honor even to be considered for that job. The young kid me, the college basketball junkie watching those games at home, never would have thought something like (being a UNC candidate) could have happened to somebody like me.
“North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I appreciate them for the way they’ve handled this. Michael Jordan — the (rumored) phone call never did happen, so I’ll put that to rest, but — we all idolized MJ. I don’t know how many hours I’ve watched that ‘Come Fly with Me’ video. …
“With that being said, though, I made a decision that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr. And I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat.”
