In his 24th season as a college basketball coach, Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd knows what to expect in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-year head coach believes he has seen the tournament from all angles, giving him the perspective he needs to guide Arizona to a title run, beginning with its first-round win over Akron.
Despite some seeing a potential upset route for Akron in the No. 4 vs. No. 13-seed matchup, Lloyd coached Arizona to a dominant 93-65 victory. After the game, the 50-year-old revealed the message he gave his team entering the game that allowed them to win in such a convincing fashion.
“I know how it feels when you’re seeded low and when you’re seeded high,” Lloyd said in his post-game presser. “That’s why our mantra is, basically, we threw the seeds out the window. These are two good teams playing that both had good seasons, earned their way here and we had a job to do. Our guys did a very good job of having our emotions in a good sweet spot. We weren’t too high, weren’t too low.”
Lloyd’s perspective gave Arizona the kickstart it needed, allowing the Wildcats to come out firing on all cylinders. Arizona got in an early rhythm that never went away, ending the game hitting 56.5 percent of its shots, including 48 percent from deep.
Junior guard Jaden Bradley led the way with 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting while adding six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fifth-year senior Trey Townsend complemented him with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.
On the flip side, nobody on Akron could get the ball rolling enough to even come close to threatening an upset. Juniors Tavari Johnson and Nate Johnson led the team with 13 points apiece but went a combined 7-for-24 from the field.
Tommy Lloyd leads Arizona to NCAA Tournament round two
The win allowed Arizona to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Houston in the Big 12 Championship Game. After an 11-1 start to conference play, the Wildcats ended the year on a 3-5 rut entering the league tournament. They picked up ensuing wins over Kansas and Texas Tech before the title loss to the Cougars.
Lloyd and Arizona will now advance to face No. 5-seeded Oregon in the Round of 32. The Ducks demolished No. 12-seeded Liberty to get there, holding the Conference USA champions to just 52 points in the first round. The former Pac-12 foes will now face each other for the first time since the 2023-2024 season.
Arizona and Oregon will tip off on Sunday at 9:40 p.m. ET at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. The neutral site location is relatively close to both campuses, giving each fan base the opportunity to create one of the top atmospheres of the tournament’s early rounds.
The post Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd’s ‘mantra’ that led to Akron blowout in NCAA Tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.
