An intriguing coaching matchup is at the center of Thursday’s first-round NCAA Tournament West Region clash between 15th-seeded Long Beach State and No. 2 Arizona in Salt Lake City.
The Cinderella 49ers (21–14) are led by a veteran coach, Dan Monson, who has been told by the university that he will lose his job come season’s end. Tommy Lloyd, who leads the Wildcats (25–8), got his start as a volunteer assistant at Gonzaga thanks to Mr. Monson, who had previously recognized Mr. Lloyd’s ability and arranged the hire just as he was leaving the Spokane, Wash., school for Minnesota in 1999.
