Tommy Lloyd had someone special on his mind after bringing Arizona back to the final weekend of March Madness.
The Arizona head coach led the 1-seed Wildcats to a 79-64 victory over the 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers in their Elite 8 matchup at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. Arizona trailed 38-31 at the half before outclassing their opponents in a dominant second-half showing.
While addressing the crowd during the postgame celebration, Lloyd made sure to shout out legendary Arizona coach Lute Olson, with the Wildcats headed back to the Final Four.
“What I’m most happy for is these Arizona fans — you guys deserve this! I know this: there’s a good-looking guy with white hair looking down on us that’s happy.”
“I know this — There’s a good-looking guy with white hair looking down on us right now that’s happy!”
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 29, 2026
Tommy Lloyd pays his respects to the legendary Lute Olson. pic.twitter.com/lkWbzpOPhu
Olson coached the team from 1984 to 2007, leading Arizona to its only national championship in 1997. Four of the Wildcats’ five Final Four appearances — 1988, 1994, 1997, and 2001 — were with Olson at the helm. The fifth came Saturday under Lloyd.
Lloyd, who’s in his fifth season as Arizona’s head coach, fell short in the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four seasons. His Wildcats will face the winner of Tennessee-Michigan, slated for Sunday.
