Villanova was one of the top available jobs around the nation last year.
The Wildcats went through a rigorous process before landing on Kevin Willard. Now, North Carolina is looking for a new head coach and considered the top landing spot for a head coach. As the Tar Heels go through their process, new information is being shared about Villanova’s search last year.
The thought is that North Carolina is expected to go after Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd. Dan Wolken of Yahoo Sports shares that Lloyd was
pursued by Villanova and was in serious contention to take the job.
“After Arizona’s exit from the Sweet 16, according to sources, Villanova came after Lloyd hard. He was probably closer to taking that job than most people realized before signing a five-year contract extension last April. Though the details are somewhat opaque, it is believed that Lloyd left money on the table — both for himself an in player acquisition — to stay at Arizona.”
Lloyd was hired by Arizona ahead of the 2021-22 season. He has gone 148-35 during his time with the Wildcats. This includes three regular season titles, three conference tournament titles, and a run to the Final Four this year. Lloyd has led Arizona to the NCAA Tournament in each of his five years as head coach.
Villanova just ended year one under Willard. He led the Wildcats back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years. Villanova finished the year with a record of 24-9 and 15-5 in the Big East, which led to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. The Wildcats were eliminated in the first round of the tournament by Utah State.
