Tommy Lloyd’s imprint on the NCAA Tournament goes beyond building Arizona’s roster into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament at 32-2 overall.
Lloyd and his staff recruited players who transferred out of Arizona and are now significant contributors to other programs that will compete in March Madness.
The total is four former Wildcats who will play in the NCAA tournament, which begins Thursday.
Arizona earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will play against No. 16 Long Island (24-10) on Friday at 10:35 a.m., Tucson time, on TNT.
It is the eighth time in program history that the Wildcats have been a No. 1 seed. In Lloyd’s five seasons with Arizona, the Wildcats have earned a No. 1 seed twice.
Arizona captured the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament championship and its 32 wins are the most the program has ever had heading into the NCAA Tournament.
The case can be made this is the best team in program history, especially if the Wildcats cut down the nets in Indianapolis, Ind., site of the Final Four.
Arizona’s loaded roster, that makes it one of the favorites to win it all, features Big 12 Player of the Year point guard Jaden Bradley, heralded freshmen Brayden Burries, Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov, the physical frontcourt duo of Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka, and reliable reserves Anthony Dell’Orso and Dwayne Aristode.
The roster has become so heaped with talent, a few players had to find a better fit elsewhere.
Here’s a look at the four players in the Big Dance with their new teams:
High Point
Conrad Martinez, Point Guard
In two seasons with Arizona, point guard Conrad Martinez averaged 1.3 points per game and 4.3 minutes per game getting little time on the cort due to the talent level on the roster. Martinez transferred to High Point following the conclusion of last season.
This year at High Point, Martinez has helped the Panthers win the Big South Tournament with a record of 30-4 while averaging 9.3 points per game and shooting 46% from the field in 34 games played.
No. 12 High Point will play No. 5 Wisconsin in the first round on Thursday at 10:50 a.m., Tucson time, on TBS in the West Region.
Saint Mary’s
Paulius Murauskas, Forward
Coming over from Lithuania, forward Paulius Murauskas clearly had the talent to be a high-level stretch 4 in college basketball. However, in one season with Arizona, Murauskas didn’t see much playing time with a roster that was hard to crack the rotation given the talent.
In one season, Murauskas averaged 2.7 points per game in 5 minutes per game while shooting 44% from the field. He transferred to Saint Mary’s, where he has averaged 15.5 points per game in two seasons with more playing time.
This season, Murauskas leads the Gaels in scoring with 18.8 points per game while shooting 49% from the field and 34% from 3-point range.
The Gaels finished the regular season 27-5, winning the regular-season title in the West Coast Conference.
Saint Mary’s is the No. 7 seed in the South Region. The Gaels will play No. 10 Texas A&M on Thursday at 4:35 p.m. on truTV.
North Carolina
Henri Veesaar, Forward
One of the shocking transfers over the last couple of years from the program was forward Henri Veesaar, who had a breakout season in his final year with the program averaging 9.4 points, 5 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game while shooting 59% from the field.
Veesaar transferred to North Carolina, where he has become one of the top players on the Tar Heels’ roster, averaging 16.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 61% from the field.
North Carolina has struggled with injuries throughout the season, including losing star freshman Caleb WIlson for the season. The issues have led to the Tar Heels earning a No. 6 seed at 24-8 overall, including a fourth-place finish in the ACC.
North Carolina will take on No. 11 VCU on Thursday at 3:50 p.m. on TNT in the South Region.
Illinois
Kylan Boswell, Point Guard
After spending two seasons at Arizona, where he averaged 7.1 points per game, point guard Kylan Boswell transferred to Illinois to be closer to home.
In his first season, Boswell averaged 12.3 points while shooting 43% from the field. He helped the Fighting Illini reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year, Boswell has experienced injury issues and has played in 25 games. He is averaging 13.2 points, 3.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 47% from the field. Despite missing seven games, he has been able to put together his best season statistically of his college career.
After finishing the season 24-8 and fourth in the Big Ten, Illinois has earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois will square off against No. 14 Penn on Thursday at 6:25 p.m. on TNT in the South Region.
With Martinez, Marauskas, Veesaar and Boswell all playing Thursday, Arizona fans can see the former Wildcats in the NCAA Tournament before watching their team play Friday morning against LIU.
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