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North Carolina’s<\/a> A1 target is off the board. Arizona<\/a> coach Tommy Lloyd announced Friday that he will ink a new contract<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to stay in Tucson. On the eve of the Final Four, a fresh $7.2 million annual contract will head Lloyd’s direction. Now it’s time to swerve in Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n Michigan’s<\/a> Dusty May remains a logical top choice. May led Florida Atlantic<\/a> to the Final Four in 2023, and he has Michigan just two wins away from an NCAA National Championship. May’s buyout is $7.5 million, which is a feasible number for North Carolina’s brass.<\/p>\n After Lloyd’s decision, North Carolina is expected to ramp up the heat on May. He’s the splashiest name on the board with the cache on the recruiting trail to turn North Carolina into a serious challenger for Duke’s<\/a> supremacy atop the ACC.<\/p>\n According to CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander<\/a>, UNC offered Lloyd a top-two contract in college basketball. May signed a five-year contract extension with the University of Michigan in February 2025, running through the 2029-30 season. The deal pays an average annual salary of $5.1 million.<\/p>\n “After last year, I decided I’ll never respond to any job speculation,” May said Friday at the Final Four. “I had already agreed to terms with Michigan, was 100 percent done, and I made the comment that I was flattered about a certain job opening because of my background, and that was misconstrued, so I just decided I’m never going to comment on any job that I don’t have.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan. Obviously, my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”<\/p>\n Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan will also be in the conversation after UNC gets a final answer from May. The timing around Donovan is a factor. The Bulls’ final game is April 12, and the transfer portal opens on Tuesday, April 7.<\/p>\n If it gets past May and Donovan, there are four more names to monitor: Iowa’s<\/a> Ben McCollum, Texas Tech’s<\/a> Grant McCasland, Saint Louis<\/a>‘ Josh Schertz and Vanderbilt’s<\/a> Mark Byington.<\/p>\n The UNC opening has kick-started a barrage of new contracts for the likes of Byington, Iowa State’s<\/a> T.J. Otzelberger and Alabama’s<\/a> Nate Oats.<\/p>\n Otzelberger has reiterated that he plans to stay at Iowa State. Oats and Alabama have agreed on another long-term deal. While Byington did sign a new contract, it shouldn’t stop UNC from making the calls … if it gets to that point.<\/p>\n Let the negotiations begin because the clock is ticking.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nNext tier of candidates<\/h2>\n