Tommy Lloyd’s Latest Comments Fuel UNC Rumors

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be led by a different head coach for the first time since 2021, as the program officially parted ways with Hubert Davis last Tuesday.

A plethora of names have been thrown around as potential candidates for the vacancy, but on Saturday, college basketball insider Jeff Goodman reported that the job could come down to two candidates.

What Goodman Said

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"My sources have told me it's unlikely Dusty May takes it," Goodman said. "I'm not going to say there's no chance, but as I've said before, Dusty May is very happy at Michigan. To me, it falls to Tommy Lloyd being the guy at the top of the list. Arizona doesn't have the money like people think. The other part is, how happy is [Lloyd] with the administration and does he want to travel across the country."

"The other part of this is Billy Donovan," Goodman continued. "The thing with Billy [Donovan] is, unless you tell him he is the guy, Billy's not going to want to go through the process. I've never seen anybody talk to more people, think about things, process things more than Billy Donovan. So, Billy is going to take a week."

Did Lloyd Confirm Reports?

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

Following Arizona's comfortable win over Purdue, which required the Wildcats to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit, head coach Tommy Lloyd had an interesting response to a question that added more speculation about his future.

"You know, the sun may be shining on this team and me coaching it right now, but when it’s shining on you, you got to fight to protect it and build it," Lloyd said. "So 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, because you know what, Arizona is going to have another good coach after me. I promise you. The place is special."

Overall Thoughts

Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd reacts in the first half against the Utah State Aggies during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

These comments do not confirm that Lloyd is headed to Chapel Hill next season, but the pathway is becoming clear that this is a legitimate possibility. Making those types of comments when your team just advanced to the Final Four, with a real possibility of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis, is jarring.

If the Tar Heels land Lloyd in the coming days, they should be ecstatic about the program's direction moving forward.