Arizona basketball coach Tommy Lloyd wants his team's entire focus to be on Michigan and not on the theatrics of being in the Final Four. As exciting as he knows the moment is, Lloyd knows his team's goal is not to end its March Madness run without a national championship.
The Wildcats have not had much previous success in March Madness under Lloyd, who is not ready to leave any stone unturned. Lloyd called the bright lights of the Final Four an “event for the fans” that he will not allow his players to succumb to.
“The Final Four is an event, but it's an event for the fans,” Lloyd said, via Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority. “Our experience is going to be different. If you want to go as a fan, you can play for a team that didn't make it, or when you're older.”
Arizona's Elite Eight win over Purdue clinched its first Final Four berth since 2001. Before 2026, the Wildcats had not even made it to the Elite Eight since 2015.
Arizona fought its way into the Final Four by throttling Purdue 79-64 in the Elite Eight. The Wildcats had all but one starter reach double figures while holding the Boilermakers to 38 percent shooting.
While the matchup is the semifinal game, it will have a National Championship-like appeal to a lot of people. Many college basketball fans viewed Arizona and Michigan as the two best teams all season and predicted the matchup would be for all the marbles in the final game. Instead, the winner will advance to face either Illinois or UConn on Monday.
