INDIANAPOLIS – Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd certainly put to rest any North Carolina speculation on Friday.
The 51-year-old coach of the Wildcats announced in his afternoon press conference that he will not be going to UNC and instead has agreed to terms on a new contract with the University of Arizona. When Lloyd was asked earlier this week about UNC’s vacant job and his public commitment to the inauguration, he played coy at times and showed no commitment, which caused understandable concern among the U of A fan base.
“I’m happy to announce that I’m staying in Arizona,” Lloyd said Friday during a press conference ahead of the Wildcats’ game vs. Michigan in the Final Four on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. “We’ve been able to do some things over the last few days. Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say this is a special place, it 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 following the formal firing of Hubert Davis on March 24, and it took more than a week of talks between Lloyd’s camps and the school to work out some key details along with UNC’s offensive effort at Arizona. Outgoing UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham made several efforts to include Lloyd, who has won more games in his first five seasons (148) than any men’s college basketball coach in history.
The Tar Heels’ job is considered one of the best in college basketball, and as such, UNC was willing to offer Lloyd one of the richest contracts in the game. Lloyd will take less money to stay in Arizona, although sources say his new salary will be $7.2 million annually, Which will be number 4 among public school coaches (Private schools like Duke do not disclose salary numbers). Lloyd’s salary 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, a college basketball fanatic watching those games at home, he never would have thought something like this could happen to someone like me. North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I applaud them for the way they’ve handled it.”
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Lloyd will be staying at Arizona long-term due to a key condition of his new deal: Lloyd will no longer report to its athletic director, Desiree 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 voiding and employee benefits battles.
Lloyd’s new deal is expected to be for five years, which will also include an increase in the salary pool for assistants and an incentive structure for his coaching staff.
Operating from a position of extreme leverage, Lloyd was able to do what he absolutely wanted: stay in Tucson. He has brought Arizona to the Final Four for the first time 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 strong confidence in the future of Arizona basketball under his leadership,” Reed-Francois said in a release. “The success of our program this season – winning championships, competing on the sport’s biggest stage and excelling academically – is a testament to the standard he and his staff have set. He has recruited and developed characterful student-athletes who make a positive impact on our team, our campus and our community. Tommy has strengthened our foundation while respecting 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 | post season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 first, big 12 | currently in the last four |
Before Friday, Lloyd had mostly remained silent on the subject of UNC and avoided several opportunities to strongly deny his candidacy. But Thursday night, Beastie Boys DJ Mix at a private party of Master MikeLloyd took the microphone and said: “I love all of you guys, I love being the coach at Arizona, and let’s find a way to kill some people on Saturday.”
Now Lloyd is out of the Carolina race, search will now change To Michigan coach Dusty May, who coincidentally will face Wits in the other semifinal at the Final Four here on Saturday night. Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan is the second top candidate to be on North Carolina’s board, sources said, although Donovan will not seriously commit to the school until the end of the Bulls season on April 12.
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May spoke before Lloyd’s on Friday and continued his usual non-response to these questions: “After last year, I decided never to respond to any speculation about the job,” May said. “I would never comment on a job I don’t have. I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan.”
Lloyd would be the first to talk about what North Carolina offered as a job, even in the same breath as he rejected the Heels.
“North Carolina is a wonderful place,” Lloyd said Friday. “I mean, it’s one of a kind. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job. The little kid I was, a college basketball fanatic watching those games at home, would never have thought something like that could happen to someone like me (being a UNC candidate).
“North Carolina is a first-class organization, and I commend them for the way they’ve handled it. Michael Jordan – The (rumored) phone call never happened, so I’ll keep it quiet, but – we all idolize MJ. I don’t know how many hours I’ve watched the ‘Come Fly With Me’ video. …
“However, having said that, I’ve decided that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr. And I’m proud to be an Arizona Wildcat.”
