Five years ago, Arizona gave Tommy Lloyd his first opportunity to be a head coach. Now he's taking the Wildcats to their first F4 in 25 years. He did it by bucking modern trends and sticking to his script. A modern marvel and a throwback all at at once. Here's how the carefree Lloyd pulled it off.

So long,San Jose

For the first time since 2001, Arizona is going to the Final Four. They do it on the same day as Illinois snapping its 21-year drought. 2005 rematch in the title game on tap????

This timing 🏀

Home game for Arizona. As expected.

Illinois is in the Final Four for the first time SINCE

Elite reference by Robbie Hummel

There's a lot of anxiety surrounding the most compelling regional final of them all this year. 1 vs. 2. Preseason No. 1 vs. the team that spent the most weeks at No. 1. Will another Big Ten team keep Arizona from ending its 25-year Final Four drought? Setting the table in San Jose:

@bryancurtis.bsky.social Blatant pandering to media consumers here in San Jose.

There's a lot of anxiety surrounding the most compelling regional final of them all this year. 1 vs. 2. Preseason No. 1 vs. the team that spent the most weeks at No. 1. Will another Big Ten team keep Arizona from ending its 25-year Final Four drought? Setting the table in San Jose:

Who's up? We're podcasting in less than five minutes right here, recapping the four Friday Sweet 16 games. www.youtube.com/live/--q-1zs...

The Eight: 1 1 1 2 2 3 6 9

The basketball is phenomenal.

Texas took its best big off the floor for Purdue's final possession. If he'd been out there, would Purdue have won? I asked Matt Painter and Sean Miller to take me into their huddles and describe why they did what they did with an Elite Eight trip on the line. Overnight file from San Jose:

Texas took its best big off the floor for Purdue's final possession. If he'd been out there, would Purdue have won? I asked Matt Painter and Sean Miller to take me into their huddles and describe why they did what they did with an Elite Eight trip on the line. Overnight file from San Jose:

Arizona romps Arkansas 109-88. It's: —Most points ever allowed by a Calipari team in NCAAT —2nd-best FG pct (63.7%) in a S16 game since 2000 —First team EVER w/ 60+ FG%/60+ 3PT%/30+ FT made in NCAAT game —First time since '07 Florida six guys had 12+ pts in NCAAT game ZONA = MACHINE.

Let’s call it a night, Cal.

/files column on Purdue-Texas ... Houston?????????

Draymond in the building.

PURDUE WINS AT THE (ALMOST ) BUZZER

Alvaro Folgueiras with the throw down.

Ben McCollum to North Carolina??

IOWA!

Tramon Mark is playing on one good ankle and has 26 of Texas' 61 points. We are cooking in San Jose.

Love this sport.

We have blown through the first media timeout and will have back-to-back with the next two whistles in San Jose.

Sweet 16 is underway.

Here's what TJ Otzelberger just told the media at his off-day press conference in Chicago when asked about the North Carolina job. This is fairly definitive regarding him staying at Iowa State without actually saying the words, "I'm not going to North Carolina."

Here's the story behind Will Wade's surreptitious sneak-out from NC State to head back to the place that fired him four years ago. This sport is unhinged. And we're not done. www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

After checking in with sources on both sides, here's the brief why and how of Will Wade's tumultuous exit from NC State and double-back to LSU. Here's a thread ... 1. Wade was seriously approached Tuesday night by LSU brass about coming back. That's the origin point.

(Re-posting, sent through the cobwebs.) Source confirms to CBS Sports that Will Wade is bailing on NC State after one year and going back to LSU. One of the more absurd coaching sagas I can ever remember. LSU is 1 of 1. So is Will Wade. Which makes them a match made in mess.

If you’ve got downtown San Jose recs, let ‘em fly ⬇️

This column is so funny.

At the hotel in San Jose — made some makeovers to the coaching tracker. I think most everything in here is up to date, if you want to peruse the landscape of change across college basketball. www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

#NoContextEyeonCBBPodcastPreview www.youtube.com/live/haiR7tp...

Breaking: Butler has hired alum Ronald Nored as its next men's basketball coaches, sources told CBS Sports. Nored was the starting point guard for Brad Stevens on BU's two teams that went to the national title game. Story: www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

That didn't take long. Brad Stevens has already removed himself from consideration atop UNC's list of targets, sources tell CBS Sports. Here's the story at this early AM hour: www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

🚨BREAKING🚨 Hubert Davis is done at North Carolina, a source tells CBS Sports. There was a meeting tonight between Davis and school leadership. A massive event amid the NCAA Tournament. One of the best jobs in college sports is now open. Story dropping momentarily.

People love the NCAA Tournament.

A 5 p.m. ET podcast. It's happening, right now. Ranking the Sweet 16 games, our favorite matchups and coaching carousel scuttlebutt, all in one show. Special time, same channel👇 www.youtube.com/live/r0K1avg...

Talk to me: My plane BEGINS boarding tomorrow at JFK (!) at 10:35 a.m. I have CLEAR, but not TSA Precheck. Are CLEAR lines taking more than 30 mins even in the worst of it right now? I typically like to arrive 30 minutes before boarding begins but am thinking it needs to be 70+ mins even with CLEAR.

Breaking: Utah State's Jerrod Calhoun has agreed to a six-year deal to be the next coach at Cincinnati, sources told CBS Sports. A formal announcement is likely to land tomorrow. An alum of UC, Calhoun was target No. 1 from the jump. www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

Breaking: Creighton's Greg McDermott is retiring, sources told CBS Sports. www.cbssports.com/college-bask...

Going to bed. What a first weekend. Wired, tired, wouldn't change it for anything. BTW, non-zero chance a coaching carousel thing happens before I wake up. Just check the site; the editors have all the story links ready to go 😴

Podcasting at some point in the next hour ... I hope! @samvecenie.bsky.social WILL BE ON THE SHOW! www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShAn...

SWEET 16 TIP TIMES

Every 9 to ever beat a 1, if you're curious.

Ben McCollum coaching THAT Iowa roster to an upset of THAT Florida team is outright BONKERS. Era Folgueiras: We have MADNESS and just the ninth 9-seed to ever beat a 1. The reigning champs are done.

Dylan Darling is the first person to ever hit a game-winning shot as time expired in the NCAA Tournament while simultaneously making his first basket of the game, per CBS Sports research.

SAN DIEGO.