The Arizona basketball team is in the Final Four, for the first time ever under head coach Tommy Lloyd. Arizona defeated Purdue on Saturday, to punch their ticket. The Wildcats head coach Lloyd addressed after the game what it meant to him to make the national semi-finals.
“The sun may be shining on this team and me coaching it right now. When it’s shining on you, you have to fight like hell to protect it and build it,” Lloyd said, per The Field of 68. “That’s what I feel like my number one responsibility is… for those who came before me and for those who are going to follow after me.”
Tommy Lloyd postgame.
“The sun may be shining on this team and me coaching it right now. When it’s shining on you, you have to fight like hell to protect it and build it. That’s what I feel like my number one responsibility is… for those who came before me and for those who… pic.twitter.com/3dYURsIIy6
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 29, 2026
Lloyd then made another comment that Arizona fans may be thinking about for awhile.
“Arizona’s going to have another good coach after me, I promise you. The place is special,” Lloyd added.
Arizona is in the Final Four for the first time in 25 years. The Wildcats, who won the Big 12 conference tournament, are having their best season ever under Lloyd.
The Wildcats will now take on either Michigan or Tennessee in the Final Four.
“If chalk prevails and Arizona faces Michigan, it would be an incredible matchup because of how good both team's frontcourts are. We are in store for an epic Final Four regardless, but Arizona getting back to the big stage is a moment its fans have been waiting for,” CBS Sports reported.
Lloyd has coached at Arizona since 2021. Before his time with the Wildcats, he served as assistant coach at Gonzaga for 20 years.
