Arizona is playing in its fifth NCAA Tournament under Tommy Lloyd in 2026. The Wildcats have earned NCAA Tournament berths in all five seasons under Lloyd as head coach. Arizona will play its 11th NCAA Tournament game under Lloyd against Long Island in the first round on Friday in San Diego.
Lloyd has a 6-4 NCAA Tournament record under Lloyd. Arizona is 3-1 in the first round, 3-0 in the second round and 0-3 in the regional semifinals in four seasons under Lloyd. The Wildcats have not advanced to a regional final since losing to Wisconsin in 2015.
That was the second consecutive season Arizona lost to Wisconsin in the West Regional Final. Including 2017 under Sean Miller, Arizona has lost four consecutive games in the regional semifinals. Arizona has five consecutive regional final losses that date back to 2003 to Kansas.
Arizona has 14 consecutive second-round wins. The Wildcats have only two first-round losses since 2009. One of those was a shocking upset to Princeton under Lloyd in 2022. After the loss to Princeton, Arizona has won by an average of 24 points in the first round of the last two NCAA Tournaments.
NCAA Tournament | Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
2022-1 Seed | First | Wright State | 87-70 |
Second | TCU | 85-80 OT | |
Regional Semifinal | Houston | L 72-60 | |
2023-2 Seed | First Round | Princeton | L 59-55 |
2024-2 Seed | First Round | Long Beach State | 86-65 |
Second Round | Dayton | 78-68 | |
Regional Semifinal | Clemson | L 77-72 | |
2025-4 Seed | First Round | Akron | 93-65 |
Second Round | Oregon | 87-83 | |
Regional Semifinal | Duke | L 100-93 |
Who has eliminated Arizona under Tommy Lloyd
ACC teams have been the nemesis of Arizona in the past two NCAA Tournaments. Clemson eliminated Arizona in the 2024 NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals. Arizona lost to Duke in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Seventh-seeded Miami is the only ACC Team in the West Regional.
Arizona would play Arkansas, Hawaii, High Point or Wisconsin in the West Regional Semifinals. Second-seeded Purdue is the highest seed on the other half of the West Region. Gonzaga is the third seed in the West Regional that will be played in San Jose.
Arizona has played six mid-major programs and four teams from power conferences in the NCAA Tournament under Lloyd. Houston was in the American Athletic Conference when it eliminated Arizona in 2022. That was the beginning of what is the emerging rivalry in the Big XII.