Tommy Lloyd certainly has bigger things on his mind as he prepares for his second season at the helm of the Arizona Wildcats, but given the stature of the two teams, it’s only natural for those outside the program to wonder when Arizona might return to Spokane to face Gonzaga and fulfill the back half of a home-and-home.

The Wildcats hosted the Bulldogs at McKale Center during the 2019-20 season, an 84-80 loss. They were initially slated to return last year, but then Lloyd left Mark Few’s bench to take the lead job at Arizona and the two longtime friends decided not to play the game in Lloyd’s first season.

Lloyd went on the College Hoops Today Podcast with Jon Rothstein to talk about a myriad of things ahead of the new season, one of them an update on the Gonzaga game.

“I’m sure it’s going to have to happen,” Lloyd said when asked if the Wildcats still planned to return the trip. “It’s a contract deal. I don’t know if there’s any rush on either side to play the game, but I’m sure down the road — in the next few seasons — we’ll play a game.”

Arizona went 33-4 in Lloyd’s first season in charge. The Wildcats earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the second overall seed in the field, right behind Few’s Gonzaga squad.

Given the fact neither seem to be going away any time soon, a regular-season matchup between the two would make for tremendous theater.

“At the end of the day, it’s a great game for college basketball,” Lloyd said. “It may not be a great thing for me personally, but it’s great for college basketball.”

You can listen to the full interview below:

Compass Media Networks · College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein – Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd