Tommy Lloyd has Arizona in Final Four after refusing to budge even as basketball changed around him

By holding to his convictions and never bowing to conventions, Lloyd built a juggernaut that runs counter to modern trends

Matt Norlander

Mar 29, 2026

4:55 am ET

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9 min read

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SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The confetti having fallen, the celebration very much ongoing, and here's the guy responsible for most all of this just off to the side, somehow, by himself.

Here stands Tommy Lloyd -- steps away from the risers, blue-and-red shreds of soft, celebratory paper at his feet; and no doubt more underneath his cotton, black Cats quarter-zip -- just hanging out. He's got a smile on, but not too big of a smile.

There are still two more games to win.

But he can pause for now to acknowledge the long-awaited return to the biggest stage in the sport for the Arizona Wildcats. The program's going to the Final Four for the first time in 25 years, getting there with an authoritative second half power stroke over No. 2 seed Purdue that ended with a 79-64 anticlimax. Thousands in red, blue and white in the stands are screaming, laughing, crying, celebrating.

Lloyd's taking it in.

Less than a minute ago, he was hugging and high-fiving with none other than Mix Master Mike, forever of Beastie Boys fame and acclaim, now a dear friend of Lloyd's. Life has changed so much, but also not that much at all, for the 51-year-old former Gonzaga assistant who helped guide two of those teams to the national title game in 2017 and 2021.

This, tonight, is different. Those Gonzaga teams were the design of Mark Few. This is now Lloyd's doing. He's brought Arizona back to the promised land, and as thousands cheer, he's humbly standing alone, just waiting for a reporter to interrupt the moment.

Of course I had to.

Did Lloyd think this was possible all those years ago, as a carefree hooper growing up in Kelso, Washington?

"I would say, yeah," Lloyd told CBS Sports on the court. "I 100% believed it. I've always dreamed big. I mean, I'm not surprised. I'm respectful of the moment, but this isn't the greatest thing to ever happen in my life. I've got a great family, and I've had a lot of good experiences, but I'm a big dreamer."

For decades, Lloyd dreamed up what he would do and how he would run a program if he was ever given the chance. In April 2021, Arizona gave him that opportunity despite Lloyd never being a head coach. His reputation was terrific as a program-builder and international recruiter, but it was still a gamble.

It paid off Saturday night. Hiring Lloyd altered Arizona's trajectory and redefined the upper echelon of the reformed, 16-team Big 12.

As Lloyd and his team now turn to their trip to Indianapolis, it must be acknowledged: Arizona has spent more weeks as the No. 1 team this season and been the winningest program over the past five seasons because Lloyd has tripled down on his refusal to bend to modern convention of over-reliance on 3-point-oriented offense.

The best coaches, no matter the sport, not only innovate, they force those around them to adapt by virtue of their convictions. Tommy Lloyd is that, and Saturday night's dismantling of Purdue was the latest evidence that shows his style was always going to work.

"He builds confidence," Arizona associate head coach Jack Murphy told CBS Sports. "I've just seen that from Year 1 to Year 5. He's been steady, the same person every single day when it comes to work. Doesn't change, doesn't get too high or too low. Now, he's very competitive, yes, and I've beaten him in pickleball. He doesn't like that. But he does not change, and he instills ultimate confidence in everybody, his staff and his players."

At a time when Steph Curry's influence and modern analytics' grip on the power of the 3-pointer has never been more inescapable, here is Lloyd's Arizona program bucking convention and relentlessly kicking ass on the way to potentially the best season in program history.

The Wildcats rank 363rd in 3-point rate, shooting from beyond the long line just 26.4% of the time, per KenPom. What's more, this team is the first to be bottom five in 3-point rate and make the Final Four since North Carolina did it (with something of a similar system) in 2008.

The message is always: north-south, go! go! go! Go at the opponent every time. Drive the ball. Play on two feet as often as possible. The gaps are there, find them, and drive your line when the space comes open. From there, the 3-point options will emerge, but don't take a good shot when a great one is waiting for your teammate two or three passes away -- and that teammate might wind up being you.

"He likes us to call it an insurance policy," Arizona star senior point guard Jaden Bradley told CBS Sports.

Bradley's ever-reliable second-half steadiness was one of the key components that drove yet another Arizona win over yet another ranked opponent, now the 14th of its 36 victories this season. He fi