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    Final Four: Drama settled, Tommy Lloyd ready to lead Arizona against Michigan
    • April 4, 2026

    By AARON BEARD and LARRY LAGE AP Sports Writers

    INDIANAPOLIS — Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Friday he’s remaining with the Wildcats after being mentioned as a potential candidate to fill the coaching vacancy at blueblood program North Carolina.

    “I’m happy to announce I’m staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We’ve been able to get some things done the past couple days.”

    The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn’t release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.

    Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.

    Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they’ve handled this.”

    “Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.

    “I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a one of one. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”

    Lloyd’s comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan (35-3) in Saturday night’s national semifinals in a much-anticipated matchup of the two No. 1 seeds that made it to Indianapolis.

    Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he’ll “never respond to any job speculation.”

    “I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”

    INTRIGUING MATCHUP

    Coaching carousel distractions now mostly aside, a March Madness masterpiece might be on tap.

    Get your popcorn, kick up your feet and get ready for what shapes up to be an epic showdown in the Final Four nightcap.

    Michigan and Arizona, who have been at or near the top of the AP Top 25 all season, will square off with a spot in Monday night’s championship game at stake.

    The nation’s top two teams in KenPom rankings will be on the same court at the Final Four for just the second time since 2015.

    Michigan was favored on Thursday by 1½ points against Arizona and was a slight favorite over the Wildcats to win the national title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Connecticut and Illinois will meet in the first game on Saturday.

    The Wolverines and Wildcats, who are a combined 71-5, are not used to playing in closely contested games. Since the tournament’s expansion to 64 teams in 1985, this is the first Final Four matchup with teams that won each of their four previous games by double digits.

    And as the point spread suggests, the game looks like it will be up for grabs.

    Michigan averages 87.7 points, barely a point more than Arizona scores per game. The Wildcats allow 68.8 points per game, eight-tenths of a point less than the Wolverines give up a game.

    BALANCED OFFENSES WITH STAR POWER

    Michigan opened the season scoring 69 points in the first half of a 121-78 victory over Oakland and didn’t cool off.

    The Wolverines are the first team to score 90-plus points in four double-digit wins in the NCAA Tournament. They have scored 381 points entering the Final Four, trailing just Kentucky’s 388 points in 1993 and Oklahoma’s 387 in 1988.

    Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg, an Associated Press All-American, has 20-plus points in three straight games, including a 27-point performance against Tennessee in the regional final.

    Five of his teammates are scoring in double figures and a sixth is averaging 9.5 points on a pass-happy team.

    Arizona, likewise, is very balanced offensively.

    Brayden Burries and Jaden Bradley, honorable mention AP All-Americans, combine to average nearly 30 points per game as part of a starting lineup with five double-digit scorers. Seven players in the regular rotation have scored at least 20 in a game, and eight players have shared or led the team in scoring in a game this season.

    The Wildcats ranked No. 4 nationally in paint points during the regular season at 42.7 per game and were 360th of 365 Division I teams by attempting just 16 3-pointers per game, seven fewer than the average team.

    Pounding the ball inside also helps them get to the free-throw line. Arizona is shooting 18-plus more free throws than opponents in the tournament.

    TALL, DISCIPLINED DEFENSES

    Arizona’s size has been an advantage all season, but Michigan also has length in the frontcourt.

    The Wildcats’ defense is anchored by 7-foot-2 Motiejus Krivas, an adept shot blocker, and he will likely square off with 7-3 center Aday Mara.

    Arizona also has 6-8 freshman Koa Peat and 6-8, 250-pound reserve Tobe Awaka to create problems for opponents. The Wildcats’ guards are big and agile, able to play aggressively up top because of the size behind them.

    Lloyd wants the Wildcats to play tough defense without fouling – something they’ve succeeded at, making more free throws than opposing teams have attempted.

    Michigan turns defense into offense, pressuring the ball all over the court to cause turnovers and trigger its fast break.

    Mara has 100 blocked shots, setting a single-season record, and the team has blocked at least eight shots in each of its four games in March Madness. Morez Johnson, a 6-9 forward, and Lendeborg have combined to block 70 shots to give the team three players to protect the rim.

    The Wolverines also throw an array of traps at teams, forcing turnovers that allow them to turn up the tempo.

    COACHES WHO ARE RISING STARS

    Lloyd spent 21 years as an assistant at Gonzaga, helping coach Mark Few turn the Zags from a mid-major from eastern Washington no one had heard of into a national powerhouse. An excellent international recruiter, he has been excellent at making adjustments, allowing the Wildcats to turn close games at halftime into lopsided wins as they did by overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Purdue, 79-64, in the Elite Eight.

    May had made the most of the transfer portal, plucking players out of it in each of his two years to remarkably rebuild a program that lost a program-record 24 games two years ago before firing former Fab Five player Juwan Howard.

    May’s staff looks for players who like to pass, believing it’s an unselfish characteristic that paves the way to be a good teammate. The former student manager at Indiana under Bob Knight is making his second trip to the Final Four as a head coach, following Florida Atlantic’’s improbable run in 2023.

    DEEP BENCHES

    Awaka and sharpshooter Anthony Dell’Orso were starters last season, but shifted to bench roles with the influx of talent on the roster.

    Awaka makes the most of his 21 minutes per game by grabbing rebounds and providing a physical presence. He leads Arizona with 9.1 rebounds per game and his offensive rebounding percentage of 20% leads the nation.

    Dell’Orso had some midseason struggles, but regained his shooting touch late in the season, providing a huge lift when he enters the game.

    Freshman Dwayne Aristode is one of the most athletic players on the team and can score in bunches as he did when he shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in an 18-point performance against Northern Arizona.

    Trey McKenney, a freshman guard, nearly averages double figures as Michigan’s top player off the bench.

    If Elliot Cadeau’s allergic reaction limits his playing time, McKenney or senior Roddy Gayle would see more action. Gayle, who is in his second season with the Wolverines after two years at Ohio State, averages 7-plus points per game.

    May said Cadeau, who averages 10.2 points and 5.8 assists, is “fine” after being driven to Indianapolis by a Michigan staffer.

    Will Tschetter provides depth in the frontcourt and is one of two holdovers, along with starting guard Nimari Burnett, from Howard’s final season.

    INTANGIBLES ABOUND

    The Wildcats seem to play better when there’s more at stake or in the face of adversity. Arizona opened the season with a six-point win over reigning national champion Florida and took down a gauntlet of ranked opponents the rest of the season.

    Bradley has been a superb point guard in his third season at Arizona, orchestrating the offense while making big plays at the big moments. He’s had a knack for taking over in tight games and hit a difficult game-winning jumper at the buzzer in Arizona’s victory over Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

    Lendeborg seems to be getting better every game and the point forward has a chance to cap his remarkable story, which includes playing just 11 games of high school basketball and validating his mother’s belief that he could be a college basketball player.

    The Wolverines have been relatively relaxed and loose all season, dancing together to pop songs when they warm up for games and celebrating teammates – particularly seldom-used reserves when they get a chance to play – during games.

    AP Sports Writers John Marshall and Josh Dubow contributed to this story.

    ARIZONA (36-2) vs. MICHIGAN (35-3)

    What: NCAA Tournament, Final Four

    When: Saturday, 5:49 p.m. PT

    Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

    TV/Radio: TNT, TBS, truTV, 1150 AM

    ​ Orange County Register 

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