Even if the North Carolina Tar Heels may really want him does not guarantee that he will be coming. When it comes to Tommy Lloyd's coaching candidacy, he could definitely make it work in Chapel Hill. However, he does have the Arizona Wildcats back in the Final Four for the first time in a quarter century. He will have more than his hands full when it comes to taking on Michigan later this weekend.
So leave it up to Fran Fraschilla over at ESPN to attempt to say why Lloyd is not coming to Chapel Hill.
"At this point in time, there is no better job for Tommy Lloyd than [the Arizona Wildcats]. If you don't want to call the Wildcats a "blueblood" that's fine. But he's not leaving for North Carolina or the other "blue bloods" that could open next year. Just spend a basketball weekend in Tucson to understand that."
Lloyd may have checked that last big box of getting to a Final Four, but this is easier said thing done...
At this point in time, there is no better job for Tommy Lloyd than @ArizonaMBB. If you don’t want to call the Wildcats a “blueblood,” that’s fine. But he’s not leaving for North Carolina or the other “blue bloods” that could open next year. Just spend a basketball weekend in…
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) March 30, 2026
While Fraschilla has a point in his argument, the ball is fully in Lloyd's court on if he wants to do this.
Fran Fraschilla paints a harsh reality on the Tommy Lloyd to UNC rumors
For those who need a bit of a refresher, the two biggest candidates for the right to replace Hubert Davis at the helm of the North Carolina program are Lloyd and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan. With the NBA season winding down in less than two weeks, as well as the Final Four being over by this time next week, we should have some resolution on who is going to be leading UNC here.
Right now, it seems as though this is Lloyd's job to lose. If he wants it, he can have it. Donovan would probably take the job, but keep in mind that the former Florida head coach has been in the NBA for over a decade. He is not a spring chicken either. What is important to know is that as long as the Kansas Jayhawks job does not open up in the next week or so that UNC will be the pace-setter here.
Ultimately, it will really come down to how much Lloyd wants to be in Tucson, as well as how much the U of A administration are willing to pay him. Lloyd is every bit a West Coast guy. Every job he has had in the basketball world has been far west of the Mississippi River. Then again, there are only three other jobs on par to what North Carolina could offer. Those would be Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky...
Fraschilla has every reason to be doubtful on Lloyd's North Carolina prospects, but let's give it time.