Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd has a theory: NCAA is embracing eligibility chaos to leverage federal legislation

Arizona’s coach offers a sharp perspective on why the NCAA is allowing eligibility battles to linger instead of leveling the playing field

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When I sat down with Tommy Lloyd this week here inside the T-Mobile Center during what amounted to the second half of Big 12 Media Days, I expected to talk to the Arizona coach about everything from his rejection of North Carolina to the additions of Caleb Holt and Cameron Holmes. I figured Ivan Kharchenkov might come up. Perhaps even Bryce James. The former Vanderbilt quarterback/future UFL player was nowhere in my notes. But Lloyd is coming off of a Final Four, in charge of one of college basketball's biggest brands, and an obviously smart guy. So before I was done with our conversation about his program and team, I wanted to get his thoughts about A) Kansas recently, and controversially, enrolling a 24-year-old who was the 59th pick in June's NBA Draft (Trey Kaufman-Renn), B) the NCAA relentlessly challenging five-year-eligibility-period cases connected to 2022 high school graduates, and C) everything else taking up so much oxygen in the sport of college basketball these days.

"My stance on the 5-for-5 is very clear," Lloyd began. "If you're a true 5-for-5 [case], and if the same situation were next year, and you could be eligible without a waiver, you shouldn't be ineligible now. [But] if you're in your sixth or seventh year [of college], and if you've