Wildcats' Tommy Lloyd Sets New Stellar Coaching Mark
No. 2 Arizona has accomplished a ton this season, from a program-record 23-0 start to capturing its first Big 12 championship in just its second season as a member of the conference.
The history continued on Monday night. As the Wildcats took down No. 6 Iowa State to claim the outright conference title -- its third under the current coaching staff -- head coach Tommy Lloyd secured his 140th win with the program, surpassing former Butler head coach Brad Stevens for the most wins of any NCAA men's basketball coach in his first five seasons with a school.
Coach Lloyd passed Brad Stevens to set the NCAA record for most win in first five seasons as head coach. pic.twitter.com/LM8jwV2FMm
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 4, 2026
Stevens went on to lead Butler to the Final Four and eventually coached in the NBA before moving into a coveted front office role. Lloyd's future seems more likely to stick with the Wildcats, as he has helped return the Arizona program to the upper echelon of college hoops following a three-year absence from the NCAA Tournament.
Tommy Lloyd's Coaching Journey
Arizona hired Tommy Lloyd to replace Sean Miller in 2021, luring him away from his assistant coaching post at Gonzaga, where he had been Mark Few's right-hand man for 22 years. The Gonzaga assistantship was Lloyd's first college coaching job, elevating from an administrative assistant to a key contributor with a front row seat to one of the greatest program rises college basketball has seen.
Lloyd has tried to carry over those principles and lessons that turned Gonzaga into a national power since arriving in Tucson, and it's been successful from the onset. During his first season with the Wildcats, the team went 33-4 and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Since then, he's led Arizona to NCAA Tournament appearances every year, often as a top-four seed, including three Sweet 16s.
The 51-year-old has also won at least 24 games each season and has become no stranger to setting records. His 18-2 mark in the PAC-12 in 2021-22 was the best of any first-year head coach, and he added onto that with a 61-11 mark during his first two seasons overall (the best in NCAA history) and an 88-20 record through his first three (second-best in the NCAA). Overall, he is now 140-35 in his five years in Tucson.
🏀 NABC Division I Coach of the Year
— NABC (@NABC1927) March 29, 2022
Tommy Lloyd led @ArizonaMBB to 33 wins and a No. 1 seed in his first season in Tucson! pic.twitter.com/j9Y7YhW01d
Tommy Lloys Develops Talent at an Elite Level
Lloyd has also produced five NBA Draft picks and two Conference Players of the Year, with others on his current team set to join them. He's also the only Arizona coach to win National Coach of the Year from the Associated Press (AP), NABC, and USBWA in the same season.
His new record is just another accolade to add to the collection and the latest demonstration of his success. But the Wildcats have much more in mind as the season continues.
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_(1)-718df543ba5564ea141c31c2d86089eb.jpg "Travis Tyler")
Travis Tyler joined On SI as a writer in January 2026. He has experience contributing to FanSided’s NFL, college football, and college basketball coverage, in addition to freelance work throughout the Dallas–Fort Worth area, including high school, college, and professional sports for the Dallas Express and contributions to the College Football Dawgs, Last Word on Sports/Hockey, and The Dallas Morning News. In addition to his writing, Travis contributes video and podcasting content to Fanatics View and regularly appears as a guest analyst. He is a graduate of Michigan State University and SMU and is an avid Detroit sports fan with a deep knowledge and appreciation of sports history. Follow Travis Tyler on Twitter at @TTyler_Sports.