- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- Focus on the Final Final
Focus on the Final Final
Tommy Lloyd announced Friday that he signed a long-term extension with Arizona, which means (most) everyone can focus on the games. We break down each matchup, highlight essential pregame reading, plus the latest coaching and portal news.
Mike Miller
April 04, 2026
The 2025-26 college basketball season’s almost over. Meh. Some good news? The 2026-27 season will tip-off with a 24 Hour Hoops Marathon, courtesy of the Field of 68. And it’ll have a must-opener at Midnight with High Point vs. Liberty. See more here.
Let’s get to Friday’s news.
In partnership with
When the coaching carousel starts spinning, privacy is your most valuable currency.
D1.relocation provides a silent layer of Pre-Decision support, allowing you and your spouse to vet homes and schools with total discretion. We ensure your family’s transition is handled behind the scenes, protecting your professional reputation while ensuring a smooth landing.
1. Tommy Lloyd’s staying put + more Final Four links
Tommy Lloyd fielded questions about the North Carolina coaching job for the last week. He put a stop to that on Friday when he announced that he agreed to long-term extension with Arizona.
“We've been able to get some things done the past couple days. 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,” he 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.”
The deal, reportedly worth $7.2 million per year, runs through the 2030-31 season. UNC offered more money, but Lloyd said no. Just as interesting? He’ll no longer report to the AD. (Read more on Lloyd’s decision.)
Michigan coach Dusty May didn’t provide get to announced an extension, but did try to end any chatter about him being linked to the UNC job.
“After last year I decided I'll never respond to any job speculation,” he said. “I had already agreed to terms with Michigan, was 100 percent done, and I made the comment that I was flattered about a certain job opening because of my background, and that was misconstrued, so I just decided I'm never going to comment on any job that I don't have.”
Whether May gets even more questions about UNC now that Lloyd’s out of the running, we’ll see if he needs a more definitive answer.
Now that the news is out of the way, here are some links that can help tide you over until tipoff:
Arizona and Michigan both dominate when it comes to points in the paint and defending points in the paint. That matchup of size and skill around the rim will be one of the primary factors tonight.
More on that rim pressure: Michigan focuses on ball movement to open things up, while Arizona excels through rebounding.
Two more victories, and UConn senior Alex Karaban will be a three-time NCAA Tournament champion. Nobody can make that claim except for the Bruins who played for John Wooden. And that’s some significant history.
Most everyone knows that Illinois freshman guard Keaton Wagler wasn’t a 5-star prospect. So how’d he go overlooked en route to a phenomenal season? The Director of 247 scouting explains.
A lot’s been made on Arizona eschewing 3s for 2s. This story from Lindsay Schnell details why Lloyd made that decision, complete with statistical insights and an endorsement from a famous alum. Hey, if Steve Kerr agrees …
Had no idea Tommy Lloyd was a massive Beastie Boys fan. Made for a fun feature from Matt Norlander.
Fans always fill the lower stands for Friday shootarounds at the Final Four. UConn, Michigan and Arizona all had solid showings, but the Illinois fans? They were out in droves. I saw hundreds waiting at the gate at 8:30 am, an hour before they were allowed in to watch practice.
Michigan is a 2-point favorite over Arizona, while Illinois is a 1.5-point favorite over UConn. That’s an outlier from typical Final Four spread and probably bodes well for close games tonight.
This story is essentially Dusty May’s life story. Worth your time.
Fun read on Sam Calhoun, a UConn senior who’s covering the team at the Final Four. You can guess who his grandfather is.
Dan Hurley’s actually quite the jokester. Really!
This Illinois “Jersey Madness” shirt wasn’t seen after the team’s 2005 Final Four run. Now it’s back.
UConn staked its claim as the Center of the College Basketball Universe two years ago. It’ll further cement that with a title or two this season. How’d the Huskies get to this point?
2. Who wins the contrasting styles of Illinois-UConn?
Illinois used a Kylan Boswell-Mihailo Petrovic-Jake Davis-Ben Humrichous-Tomislav Ivisic lineup the most the last time they played UConn. It hasn’t used that lineup at all this calendar year.
