Arizona vs. Oregon: What Tommy Lloyd said about facing Pac-12 rival in NCAA Tournament

The Ducks and Wildcats square off in Seattle on Sunday night with the Sweet 16 on the line

Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

SEATTLE — Arizona and Oregon are fighting to stay relevant in conferences dominated by teams in different regions of the country.

Now in the Big 12 and Big Ten, the Wildcats and Ducks no longer play in a familiar West Coast footprint. And Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd knows winning is the only way forward.

"I think that with these conferences just spanning, basically, the country, I think us on the West are going to have to fight hard for our place at the table and for our identity because we don't have a league that's basically committed to a region of the country," Lloyd said on Saturday, ahead of the Wildcats' round of 32 NCAA Tournament showdown with former Pac-12 opponent Oregon.

"We're going to have to fight. We're going to have to scratch. We're going to have to claw and let people know we're here. How do you do that? You win, and you're successful, and you're competitive, and you play a national schedule. Those are the things that we're going to do to continue to let people know that Arizona basketball is here for it. We're here for it. Just because we're the furthest West team in the (Big 12), or one of them in our conference that goes all the way to Orlando and Morgantown and Cincinnati, we're okay out here. We're here for it, and we're going to fight for our place at the table."

Here are the highlights of Lloyd's press conference in Seattle ahead of No. 4 Arizona's March Madness game vs. No. 5 Oregon on Sunday night.

Lloyd on his respect for Oregon

"Obviously we have a lot of respect for Oregon. We've battled with them the past three years, and I know those battles go way before me, as well. I know there's been a good run of Oregon and Arizona, heated battles in games."

"It is a little weird playing them in the second round of the tournament because it's a team that you're used to being a conference rival, and usually you wouldn't see that until later in the NCAA Tournament."

"For it to happen earlier, it's interesting, but it's a great thing. Anytime you're in the tournament and whoever you're playing the next game, you're excited. Obviously, it's a program and a coach I have a lot of respect for, and I'm sure both teams' staffs probably sat down and watched the film yesterday, and they're like, oh, yeah, that's right. I think there was probably a lot of those familiar things."

"Both programs have a conviction in the way they play and a style of play that kind of suits themselves and their personnel. There's probably a lot of familiarity on both sides, but it's a new year. A new year, a few new players sprinkled in here, some returning players that have gotten better on both sides. It obviously is going to be a challenging game Sunday evening."

Lloyd on Nate Bittle and Chet Holmgren

"I saw Nate when he was in high school. He was somebody that -- we knew how talented he was. Just at the time I was at Gonzaga, and we had a good inkling we were going to get another tall, skinny kid named Chet Holmgren. You couldn't take every tall, skinny kid. He visited us, but I think we and they knew that we were probably going another direction. And so, he was a great get for Oregon."

"What they've done a great job of is it takes time. It takes time for guys like him to develop. Like a Chet Holmgren is an anomaly. Most tall, thin guys, it takes time. So just to see him develop over the course of a career is awesome for me because I appreciate what it takes to get better. I know how hard it is to get better. I know the patience it takes. I know the hard days. I know the things that go on behind the scenes with the uncertainties that you have to overcome, the reassurances you need from the coaching staff to hang with it."

"To see him where he's at now, it's awesome, and obviously, it's an affirmation for me that that's still the right way to do it. I love developing players, and I always have. Hopefully, you're always going to have big guys developing in our program. We have one of them right now, Henri Veesaar, who's on a similar track. A very good player, and he's done a great job. Crazy respect for him for hanging with it and getting better, fighting through injuries, fighting through just physical things. When you're young, you're just not quite strong enough. So nothing but respect for Nate and what he's become as a player."

Lloyd on the quick turnaround

"There's a little more comfort as a coach as you start developing a scout, basically installing a game plan. But what matters is what the players can retain."

"In a quick turnaround, you might have all these great ideas, but you also have to remember, last year we played them three times, and you kind of had a buildup over the course of the year. This year, you play them once. The third time or the second time, hey, this worked, that didn't work, you're able to make actual adjustments where the players understand. This one you're going in fresh."

"You hope you hit it right, and you hope you make some of the right decisions. These games come down to -- there's some scouting, there's some scheming, but it comes down to doing what you do well and finding a way to do it within those 40 minutes. I don't know if you can get too tricky this time of year on quick, short turnarounds."

Lloyd on Oregon coach Dana Altman

"Dana has a real ability to get his players to do what he wants them to do. It's that simple. Whether that's directing shots, going at matchups, he has a real certainty in the stuff that he runs because he's run it a long time. I think -- I'm not in his head, but I think he probably has a Rolodex of options he can go through. I want to get the ball to this guy against this matchup on this spot on the floor. I don't think he needs to look at a sheet of paper. I think he knows what he's going to do."

"He has a real certainty in what he does. He's not afraid in these games to make adjustments, whether it's on the defensive end or whatever. So he has a great ability in games to give his team a chance to win. If something is not working, he changes, and I've always respected that about him."

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