National College Basketball writer Dan Wolken said during an appearance on Yahoo Sports Daily about a potential North Carolina coaching search, “I think the person that they will and should initially target is Tommy Lloyd from Arizona.”
Hubert Davis is currently the head coach at North Carolina. After the Tar Heels blew a 19-point second-half lead in a first-round loss to Virginia Commonwealth, there has been a lot of speculation that Davis will not return as head coach.
Wolken laid out the advantages that Lloyd would have at North Carolina over Arizona and the biggest reason for him to stay. North Carolina has a bigger name, image and likeness budget than Arizona. Lloyd is native of Kelso, Washington and has spent his entire playing and coaching career in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones.
Any contact North Carolina would have with Lloyd will have to wait as long as Arizona is playing in the NCAA Tournament. Arizona plays Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament West Regional Semifinals on Thursday night in San Jose. If Arizona wins, they advance to the West Regional Final in San Jose on Saturday.
“I think the person that they will and should initially target is Tommy Lloyd from Arizona.” 👀@DanWolken shares a few names UNC could consider if the program moves on from Hubert Davis.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 24, 2026
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/DMEMUwtkFQ
"I think the person they will and should target is Tommy Lloyd of Arizona. I don't know that they will be able to get him. I don't know if he wants to move out to the East Coast. He has been kind of a West Coast guy his entire coaching career. But obviously, you look at the job he's done at Arizona. They've got good resources there, but not anything like you'd have at North Carolina. Including the brand...the financial backing. "Dan Wolken, Yahoo Spots
Tommy Lloyd's contract
Lloyd received a contract extension in April 2025 through March 31, 2030, with an annual base salary of $4.4 million and an additional $700,000 for additional duties. Lloyd's contract will increase up to $5.5 annually in year five. Arizona will also pay Lloyd extensive bonuses for each round the Wildcats advance in the NCAA Tournament.
According to USA Today, the buyout for Davis would cost North Carolina is $5.312 million "if he were to be fired on April 1." Davis has a six-year deal at North Carolina through June 30, 2030, with an annual salary of $3.85 million and remaining supplemental compensation at $11.7 million.
Inside Carolina reported in June 2025 that North Carolina committed $14 million to its 2025-26 roster. That includes forward Henri Veesaar, who had an outstanding season for North Carolina after transferring from Arizona during the 2025 portal opening. Arizona is paying around $4.16 million for its 2025-26 roster.