What Tommy Lloyd Said Before Arizona’s Matchup With UCLA
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After starting the season out with a 3-0 record by upsetting the now-ranked No. 10 Florida Gators, dominating the Utah Tech Trailblazers and stomping the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, the No. 5-ranked Arizona Wildcats now have their sights set on avenging last season's loss to the No. 15-ranked UCLA Bruins by beating them in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome this Friday.
In that game, the Wildcats blew a 13-point lead to eventually lose 57-54 in gut-wrenching fashion at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ, dropping their record to 4-5.
This year's team is different, featuring seven freshmen who make up the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation and are coming off three impressive victories. Arizona also has four returning veterans with plenty of experience between them.
Head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke with media members about Arizona's upcoming game with UCLA, citing their excitement about potentially getting revenge on the Bruins and how competitive the game will be as it will be played in enemy territory. Here is a collection of their thoughts.
Lloyd's thoughts of last year's game
"We were going through a tough stretch and that was the end of it. Going into it, Mo looked like he was turning the corner and really coming back healthy and then, a couple days before the game, he reinjured his foot and, basically his season was over. So then we were forced to, on the fly figure out a little different way to play, nothing crazy, but we had to make some adjustments."
"That was the first game we really headed into it and we had some success with it, but we also had some struggles with it, you know and UCLA has something to do with that. We had something to do with that. I just remember feeling like we were in good shape in that game to secure a win, which you never take for granted because there was a lot of time left in the clock."
"I think we were up, I don't know, 10 or 11 or something with 10 minutes to go or 8 minutes to go and we lost and that was obviously disappointing and it had been a tough stretch."
Lloyd's respect for Mick Cronin and UCLA
"I got a ton of respect for Mick. He's a really good basketball coach and every time you play against him the game's going to be physical, it's going to be gritty. He and his staff are paying attention to the details. So, you have to be prepared. And so, I'm I'm really excited about the challenge. I think our guys are really looking forward to a couple days of preparation."
On UCLA's playing style
"Tough, solid, well schooled in the fundamentals, have a plan and a conviction to stick with their plan. And whenever you play somebody that has those attributes, I don't care what they're running, it's going to be a tough game. He's comfortable playing slower, I'm comfortable playing faster."
"It's always going to be a clash, but we've got to probably be comfortable playing in some slower games. Today's game was a slow game. There was a lot of long possessions down at their end of the floor and we even had a few on offense and UCLA has got to be comfortable figuring out a way to win some games playing faster."
Lloyd's thoughts on the three-year series
"I love it. I hope we're able to continue it on an annual basis. I mean, for me, I don't see any reason to not do that."
On Arizona fans filling Intuit Dome
"From what I heard, Arizona fans need to get out and buy some tickets. There's a lot of tickets available for this game. This isn't like the Vegas deal. So, all our alumni in Southern California, we need you. We need you guys to come out there."
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Nathaniel Martinez and a set of shoulder pads at 7 years old. He later graduated from Pima Community College in 2023, where he began writing for the Pima Post. He is working to achieve a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication and Media Studies.