Final Four Could Have Weird Feeling as North Carolina Job Looms Around Tommy Lloyd

As teams set to embark on their journeys to Indianapolis for the Final Four, there is a cloud that’s hovering over one of the teams that needs to be cleared up soon or more questions will be asked.

North Carolina’s courtship of Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd will surely be the talking point as no one within the Wildcat program has poured cold water on the rumors.

Lloyd, after Arizona beat Purdue in the Elite 8, gave an interesting answer to a question asked about the history of Wildcat basketball and the greats that have come through the program before him.

“That's what I feel like my number one responsibility is, to fight to protect the program and fight to build it for those who came before me and for those that are going to follow after me,” he explained.

“Because you know what, Arizona is going to have another good coach after me. I promise you. The place is special.”

Given the speculation about North Carolina’s interest, it was an odd answer to bring up his possible successor.

The focus should be on the dominance of Arizona this week in Indy and its heavyweight matchup against Michigan on Saturday night. It’s the first Final Four appearance for the Wildcats since 2001 when the legendary Lute Olson was the head coach.

“The people of Tucson are basketball historians,” Lloyd said. “The number of stories I've heard consistently about things that happened 10, 20, 30 years ago, it's impressive. I mean, they really hold on to the things this program accomplishes, and they hold on to our struggles as well.”

Basically, he’s saying that Arizona fans are passionate and they don’t forget things, which makes this weekend even more interesting.

If Tommy Lloyd leads the Wildcats to its first National Championship since 1997, could he really bolt to Chapel Hill? Would he be looking for a new challenge?

A Final Four appearance is already a historic season for Arizona and its transition to the Big 12 has not only been seamless but they have been dominant, yet the Tar Heels are tough to pass up and will certainly give Lloyd a lot to think about over the next week.

The question remains if it will be a distraction for his players.