Wildcats Boost Tommy Lloyd Into Naismith Conversation

Head men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd has re-established the Arizona Wildcats program asa powerhouse in the Big 12, and the national recognition for the job he has done is starting to pick up steam, leading to consideration for national awards.

The latest is the Naismith Men's College Coach of the YearAward, given to the nation's top coach, which officially put the 51-year-old on its Watch List this week.

The best coach in the country!!!

Coach Lloyd has been named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Watchlist 👀 pic.twitter.com/aGCSQXpsK5
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 23, 2026

The Qualifications of Tommy Lloyd

Since arriving at Arizona, Tommy Lloyd has been a proven winner. He holds a 137-35 record through nearly five seasons with the Wildcats, winning two conference titles and two conference tournament championships and reaching the NCAA Tournament each year. He's also produced many NBA players throughout his coaching career.

His first couple of seasons constantly challenegd the record books as he set the NCAA record for wins by a coach in his firts two seasons with a program and has the second most wins for a coach in his first three and four seasons. Lloyd also became the first DI coach to win the conference tournament in each of his first two seasons at the helm.

This is not the first time he's been up for a Coach of the Year Award. In 2022, he won Coach of the Year from multiple publications, but he has never won the Naismith.

This season would be as good a time as any. He led the Wildcats to a program-best 23-0 start before losing a hostile and hard-fought road game to Kansas and a home game to Texas Tech. Still, he has Arizonaremaining on top of the Big 12 and in the hunt for its second No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament under his watch with four games reamaining in the regular season.

What to Know About Naismith Coach of the Year

The Naismith Coach of the Year Award has been given to the nation's best men's basketball coach since 1987. The list of nominees dwindles throughout the year until the announcements of semifinalists, finalists, and the winner. This was just the announcement for the final 15 on the watch list, which will be cut down to 10 semifinalists.

Lloyd is one of four Big 12 coaches still in the running, joining Bill Self (Kansas), TJ Otzelberger (Iowa State), and Kelvin Sampson (Houston). The rest of the list includes veterans like Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Nebraska's Fred Hoiberg, UConn's Dan Hurley, and Illinois' Brad Underwood, as well as hidden gems like Miami Ohio's Travis Steele (unbeaten this season), Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, and St. Louis's Josh Schertz.

Meet the Coaches Behind this Season’s Standout Teams.

Introducing our 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Watch List Presented by @AxiaTimeLLC. @Werner_Safety pic.twitter.com/8tu72mkTsA
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) February 20, 2026

If Lloyd were to win the Naismith Coach of the Year award, he'd be the first Arizona coach to do so and the fifth from the Big 12. He would also be the first Big 12 coach not coaching a Kansas-based team to win it. Kansas has three previous winners (Self, Roy WIlliams, and Larry Brown), and recently fired Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang won it in 2023.

Lloyd's mentor at Gonzaga, Mark Few, has received the honor twice.

There's still a long way to go in the process. The list will be narrowed to 10 semifinalists on March 20 and four finalists on March 27, with the winner announced April 5 -- the day before the national championship game.

Talk to us today by commenting on our Facebook page!