Arizona men’s basketball coach Tommy Lloyd knows his upcoming matchup against BYU will be a tough one. He has extensive experience playing and coaching against the Cougars, having been Mark Few’s head assistant at Gonzaga from 2011 to 2023.
“We know it’s going to be an evenly matched game, and I’ve played against BYU a lot,” Lloyd said. “I know there’s some character in that program and they’re going to come down here with the mindset of getting a win.”
Lloyd praised BYU’s recent performance, particularly their win over Kansas. He believes the Cougars’ defensive game plan worked well, as did their offensive execution.
“Everything they did in the Kansas game worked,” Lloyd said. “Their defensive game plan worked. Their offensive execution worked. It’s not very often you go into a game where you know everything you do works.”
In terms of strategy, Lloyd acknowledged that BYU will try to attack Arizona’s two-big lineup. However, he believes his team can hang with it and is confident in their defensive gains.
“We’re going to have to play with effort, energy, intelligence,” Lloyd said. “Those are the ingredients I’m looking for right now.”
Lloyd also mentioned the potential role of desperation in BYU’s approach. As teams start to feel pressure to improve their postseason chances, they can become more energized and focused.
“I think that desperation element you can throw into a team’s approach can impact the effort and energy they play with on any given night,” Lloyd said. “And you kind of start seeing that in mid-February.”
With the Wildcats favored by 7.5 points, Lloyd is expecting a tough battle against BYU. However, he remains confident in his team’s abilities and looks forward to putting on a show.
Source: https://www.si.com/college/arizona/basketball/what-tommy-lloyd-said-about-byu-everything-they-did-in-the-kansas-game-worked-01jmn764c858