Lloyd Discusses Arizona’s First-Round NCAA Tournament Matchup

Arizona is back at it in the NCAA Tournament. After a 32-2 season capped off with a Big 12 title, the Wildcats are seeking glory in March. Head coach Tommy Lloyd continues the streak of making the tournament during his tenure at Arizona.

The Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed in the West region, and the first No. 1 seed since the 2022 season. That season ended in the Sweet 16 with a loss to Houston, so Lloyd and company look to avoid a repeat of that.

Arizona Will Cruise In Round of 64

1️⃣ in the West pic.twitter.com/8oYKf0B0g1
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 15, 2026

Long Island University will be taking on the Wildcats in the Round of 64 on Friday. The Sharks went 24-10 this season and won the Northeast Conference tournament. This will be the program's first tournament appearance since 2018. The Sharks are 0-7 in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats opened up as massive favorites, as the opening spread was listed at 29.5 points. Since then, the line has moved to 31.5 in the Wildcats favor. That does not sway Lloyd by any means.

It all starts Friday morning!!! pic.twitter.com/TUdif4fBxT
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 16, 2026

Tommy Lloyd Not Overthinking the Past

“We’re treating everything the same,” Lloyd said. “We’re not doing anything different this week. We’re not going to practice any different this week. We’re just going to do everything the same. We’re going to double down on what we’ve done all year, double down on a strong culture, double down on respecting our opponents and valuing preparation. Then we’re excited for Friday afternoon.”

It will be a No. 1 versus No. 16 seed battle, so naturally the Wildcats will be massive favorites. This is March, though, so anything can happen. This does not affect Lloyd’s mindset going into the game, as he is treating it just like another game.

Let’s dance 🕺 pic.twitter.com/QYbaxcEtjg
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 15, 2026

“This is a normal week for us,” Lloyd said. “Within the program, we understand what the tournament is and that it’s exciting for a lot of people. But there are spectators and there are participants, and we’re participants. We’ll let you guys have all the fun with it — we just want to play games.

“The one thing I know is the longer we play and the more games we play, the better stories there are for you guys to write. We’re going to approach it one game at a time and go from there. We’re not going to get out ahead of ourselves.”

A beautiful, perfect thing: The 2026 men's NCAA Tournament bracket WITH tip times, TV channels and all tournament sites included. Mandatory inventory. pic.twitter.com/tbArK1RLVg
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 16, 2026

Lloyd and the program have had great success in the regular season, but have fallen short once March rolls around. He talked about his past tournament showings and how he can grow and learn from those.

“I hope I’ve learned over the years how to prepare the team the best way,” Lloyd said. “Nothing is foolproof or guaranteed, but hopefully we’ve gotten better at the process of preparing for the tournament.”