Tommy Lloyd Offers This Shut Down of UNC Rumors Ahead of Sweet 16

One of the most notable jobs in the head coaching sphere opened up this week, as North Carolina opted to fire former head coach Hubert Davis after five seasons.

Now that there is a vacancy that needs filling quickly, UNC is likely to hit up just about every head coach you can think of. A head coach that won’t be biting the bait is Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd.

Lloyd has been the head man at Arizona since 2021, and has been highly successful in his time there, leading the Wildcats to a 146-35 record over that span, making the NCAA tournament every season, and making the Sweet Sixteen four of those five times — including this season.

Mar 25, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd addresses the media in a press conference during a practice session ahead of the west regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images | Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Now in an extremely pivotal time of the season, the Wildcats are dealing with a slight distraction, even if Tommy Lloyd doesn’t believe so.

In the midst of potentially the best season he’s had at the helm of Arizona, Lloyd was asked about the possibility of jumping ship for the UNC job, which he promptly shut down.

“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” Lloyd said. “One thing we talk about in our program all the time — and I think I’ve gotten better at, and I think our team’s been crushing it this year — is just the ability to have full focus and be present in the moment. I think we have a great team. I think we have a chance to advance in this tournament, game by game. But, I’m not delusional, I know we could lose tomorrow. But, this team deserves my full focus. There’s not one thing that is going to knock me off my path. I’m 100 percent focused on Arizona basketball, and this program.

Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd celebrates after defeating the Utah State Aggies during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In terms of the popularity and notoriety, the North Carolina vacancy rivals the recent coaching searches of that of the Los Angeles Lakers, and the LSU Tigers’ football team. It’s not very often that a job with such prestige becomes open, and only the best of the best in the world will be considered for such a position.

While having the job at Arizona isn’t quite the same as it would be at UNC, to Lloyd’s credit, he has turned Arizona into an absolute powerhouse since taking over. The team has lost double-digit games just one time over his five seasons, and are contenders to win the national championship just about every season.