Well, Tommy Lloyd got what he wanted...
Tommy Lloyd uses UNC to get the extension he desired from Arizona
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd has agreed to a new deal with the school, he announced. Arizona’s new five-year deal with Lloyd will make him one of the five highest paid coaches in college basketball, per me and @jeffborzello. pic.twitter.com/2mcA49JHPk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 3, 2026
Pete Thamel was the first to report that Lloyd agreed to a contract extension at Arizona, a deal that will make him one of the top-five highest paid coaches in the sport.
Since Hubert Davis was fired, Lloyd has been heavily linked to the North Carolina job. At times, it felt like Lloyd was actually considering leaving Tucson for Chapel Hill, but as UNC waited for his season to be over, not only did Lloyd throw a wrench in their pursuit of a new head coach, but it also left you wondering... where does UNC go next?
At this point, all signs point to Billy Donovan, a candidate that would come with its own major question marks regardless of his two national championships during his time at Florida over a decade ago.
Needless to say, this is turning out to be a mess, just like everything else that has surrounding North Carolina athletics over the past 5-10 years.
Just when we thought we were getting closer to the finish line in this situation, Tommy Lloyd throws a major curveball at us all. We guess the "rift" between him and the athletic director was yet another ploy to get what he wanted from the university, and UNC's job opening was the perfect bargaining chip for him to use.
This is very disappointing, as the thought of Lloyd being the guy in Chapel Hill was starting to feel like more of a realistic possibility. Now, we are left once again wondering where the university will go next and what the game plan will be as they look to wrap this search up sooner rather than later.
The clock is ticking, and UNC must figure it out now.