Lloyd Explains What Wildcats Avoiding Ahead of NCAA Tournament

The Arizona Wildcats have earned plenty of attention nationally this season, and they’ve emphasized not getting caught up in the limelight ahead of the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona’s Resume

The Wildcats are entering the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. They carry a 31-2 record, with a sweep of the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament titles. They also spent nine-straight weeks at the top of the AP Poll in the middle of the season amidst their 23-0 start, and have consistently ranked in the top 5 of numerous metrics throughout the season.

Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats center Motiejus Krivas (13) and forward Koa Peat (10) high-five during the second half against the Houston Cougars during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Arizona has been really good under Tommy Lloyd since 2021, but perhaps they haven’t been as dominant as they’ve been this season. As such, they’ve earned plenty of notoriety and attention from the outside world.

With several star freshmen on the team, such as Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, it can be easy for the team to get distracted by the amount of attention they’ve received, which will only be exacerbated by whatever they do in the NCAA Tournament. Ahead of their first game against Long Island, head coach Tommy Lloyd spoke about how his team has stayed level-headed despite all the noise.

Lloyd’s Thoughts

Mar 14, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd stands on the sidelines during the first half against the Houston Cougars during the men's Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

“| just told our guys the best thing we can do is just kind of stay out of the spotlight a little bit,” Lloyd said. “Do our normal obligations and just kind of lead our normal lives, and the guys need to go to class, and do all their normal stuff, and I'm going to do my normal stuff. It's been a good process so I don't know why we'd want to change that right now.”

Mar 2, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd looks towards his players during the first half of the game against the Iowa State Cyclones at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

“I don’t think it’s any tougher,” he added, regarding the increased attention. “I think you just have to be intentional, and you have to value being steady, and understanding that there's real value in that. I think those freshmen might be as mature as anyone in the whole group. I think that they’re just wired that way. I’ll obviously take stock this week, and talk to them, and watch them. I think they’re really mature, competitive guys, so I think they’ll be excited.”

The Wildcats will look to keep the laser-sharp focus that they’ve displayed all season as they begin their quest towards their second national title in program history. Arizona enters the big dance riding a high wave of momentum that it hopes to carry to Indianapolis.