Tommy Lloyd Turns Down North Carolina in Dramatic Final Four Announcement

The Wildcat head coach left no doubt as to what his future holds with rumors circulating

Apr 2, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd during a press conference ahead of the Final Four of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The Final Four is always high drama but this year the drama came off the court as the biggest talk around Indianapolis is the North Carolina head coaching vacancy.

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was the top target for the Tar Heels, and he never publicly denied the idea that he could leave the Wildcats after the Final Four for Chapel Hill until Friday in a dramatic announcement during his press conference.

“I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona,” he said from the dais. “We've been able to get some things done the past couple days.”

According to multiple reports, Lloyd and the school inked a five-year deal that will pay him nearly $7.5 million annually. North Carolina’s offer would have made him the second highest paid coach in college basketball.

To stay with the Wildcats, Lloyd took less money.

“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it's a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” he added. “I didn't want to make this entire Final Four about that because I'm just a small part of something much bigger.”

There was a report that surfaced last week that Michael Jordan called Tommy Lloyd to recruit him to take the job with the Tar Heels, something that Lloyd said did not happen.

“Michael Jordan, the phone call never did happen, so I'll put that to rest,” he explained. “I made a decision that my Michael Jordan is Steve Kerr, and I'm proud to be an Arizona Wildcat.”

Lloyd has led the Wildcats to its first Final Four since 2001 and will be looking to win the program’s first National Championship since 1997 but has a massive challenge on Saturday night with No. 1 Michigan in the National Semifinals.

Nevertheless, Tommy Lloyd has continued the rich tradition at Arizona and a seamless transition to the Big 12 after the dissolving of the Pac-12 which will continue for the foreseeable future in Tucson.