Tommy Lloyd isn’t hiding where he stands in Arizona forward RJ Godfrey’s eligibility fight.
With the college basketball season set to start in 11 days, Godfrey is still stuck in limbo as the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rules continue to sort themselves out. He is one of the plaintiffs in Georgia who remains ineligible, even as plaintiffs in cases out of California and Ohio - along with many smaller lawsuits - are eligible to play this season, at least for now.
At Big 12 media day on Wednesday, Lloyd backed Godfrey and the rest of the class of 2022 seniors who are still pushing for another season.
"It's hard for me to sit here and not be able to defend somebody just because they entered college in the class of 2022, when everybody before them got five years and everybody after them is going to get five years," Lloyd said. "I know there's two sides to every story, but we have a guy that's a true five-for-five. That's where I would draw the line, a true five-for-five I think you should be eligible."
Godfrey’s path to Arizona has already been a strange one. He committed to the Wildcats on August 2, then picked up eligibility after a preliminary injunction was granted in the Godfrey vs.
NCAA lawsuit three days later on August 5. But the Georgia Court of Appeals stayed the case on Sep. 9, and he has been ineligible ever since, even after other fifth-year seniors had their eligibility restored in Ohio last week.
Arizona brought in Godfrey to fill the Koa Peat-sized hole at power forward, and the fit is obvious. After four seasons at Clemson, he arrives with a reputation for doing the dirty work, and his 2025-26 numbers back that up: 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while hitting 62.7% of his two-point attempts in 25.2 minutes a night.
The frontcourt picture around him already has pieces in place with Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov, while the Wildcats have also gotten encouraging signs from international freshman Maksim Brnovic and Nebraska transfer Ugnius Jarusevicius. Still, it’s clear Arizona wants Godfrey in the mix if it’s going to chase another Final Four run in 2027.
"You wish cooler heads could prevail and give these kids the opportunity they deserve," Lloyd continued. "These kids did nothing wrong, they are missing out on a life changing opportunity, not only for an experience but financially, just because of the year they graduated high school."
For now, Arizona is operating as if it may have to go without him. The Wildcats are scheduled to host Eastern Washington in an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 23, with tipoff set for 7:00 PM MST on ESPN+.
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Iowa State brings a different challenge, one that could make this a grind if Arizona is not clean on the details. The Cyclones lean on the run to move the ball, and the matchup may come down to who handles third downs and red-zone chances better, two areas where the contrast between these teams could decide whether Arizonas hot start keeps rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Motiejus Krivas Is Giving Arizona Fans Real Title-Run Hype
Motiejus Krivas is already pushing Arizona into the conversation before the 2026-27 season even begins. The Wildcats big man was recognized as a preseason AP All-American, a sign of how much his profile has risen as Arizona reshapes its roster and looks for new leading voices after several departures. With Ivan Kharchenkov also expected to step into a bigger role, the Wildcats have the kind of front-line foundation that can make an exhibition stretch feel more meaningful than usual.
Arizonas next test comes with an upcoming exhibition against Eastern Washington, another chance to see how quickly the new-look rotation is coming together. The buzz around Krivas is about more than preseason recognition, though. His early play has only added to the feeling that Arizona may have a legitimate centerpiece to build around, and the next question is how far that momentum can carry once the games start counting for real. [Read more 🡒]