North Carolina's top head-coaching target is barreling towards an impossible decision

Time is more on the North Carolina Tar Heels' side in all this than you would think... Even though UNC bowed out in the Round of 64 early last weekend, they do not have to make a decision right this instant when it comes to hiring the right replacement for an ineffective Hubert Davis. North Carolina is every bit the traditional power, so it can open up doors that other programs just simply cannot.

As of right now, one of the biggest names out there to be had would be Tommy Lloyd over at Arizona.

Lloyd is entering the peak of his coaching prowess. The 51-year old from Washington State has led the Arizona Wildcats over the last five seasons. Since leaving Mark Few's bench at Gonzaga, he has won two Pac-12 Tournaments, and a Big 12 Tournament this year since U of A switched leagues upon realignment. At 35-2 on the year, would Lloyd really leave Tuscon for UNC at this stage of the game?

If Arizona were to win a national championship this season, there is no way he would leave then, right?

Tommy Lloyd to North Carolina could hinge on Arizona's tournament run

While Lloyd did comment on the UNC head-coaching vacancy, he did not exactly say no with all this.

"I already have one of the best jobs in the country. One thing we talk about all the time is the ability to have full focus and be present in the moment ... I think we have a chance to advance in this tournament. This team deserves my full focus. There is not one thing that's gonna knock me off that path."

Clearly, his agent is doing the heavy-lifting before him behind the scenes. Why would that not be the case? Lloyd is three wins away from bringing Arizona its first national championship in decades. While most people have been quick to dismiss what U of A has done this season, the Wildcats are still standing. The problem with him possibly leaving Arizona for UNC would be the optics after a title run.

Let's be real. Unless your dream job opens up, and it just so happens to be your blue-blood alma mater, you cannot leave for it after winning a national championship. Roy Williams came very close to doing that, but his 2003 Kansas team fell to Carmelo Anthony and Syracuse in the final game of that tournament. It was the right decision for Williams to make, as he finally won national titles with UNC.

To tie a bow on this, Lloyd is already at a job that is in the same neighborhood at North Carolina in the national pantheon. There are levels to this, but U of A is not a job you use as a stepping stone like so many have done historically at Xavier, or with the Washington Huskies on the college football gridiron. Arizona is one of a handful of places you only willingly leave if you decide it is time to call it a career.

So the longer Arizona stays in this year's NCAA Tournament, the less and less likely Lloyd will leave.