Coach Tommy Lloyd claps as his team plays UTRGV on Friday night.

News and notes from Arizona’s 104-50 over Texas-Rio Grande Valley Friday night at McKale Center:

Tommy Lloyd keeps it casual

Arizona fans hold elite expectations for the Wildcats on a yearly basis, but if there’s something to not expect, it’s first-year head coach Tommy Bahama β€” er, Tommy Lloyd β€” wearing three-piece suits on the sidelines. The same goes for his staff members.

β€œI’ve always wondered why we wore suits, but you didn’t want to be that guy standing out,” Lloyd said on Monday before Arizona’s season opener.

During Arizona’s win over UTRGV on Friday, Lloyd wore a white quarter-zipped pullover, dark gray slacks and navy blue Air Force 1 shoes. UA assistants TJ Benson and Rem Bakamus replicated Lloyd’s look, while Steve Robinson, Jack Murphy, Riccardo Fois, Ken Nakagawa and graduate assistants donned white polos.

The quarter-zip look was Lloyd’s preferred choice, but it was unavailable for the season-opening win over Northern Arizona on Tuesday.

β€œThey call him EMOY, right, but I don’t know if he’s EMOY right now because we don’t have any long-sleeved pullovers,” Lloyd joked about UA equipment manager Brian Brigger, who is often referred to as the Equipment Manager of the Year. β€œI feel like I’m gonna be coaching naked (Tuesday) coaching in a polo. I prefer to have a long sleeve because sometimes it gets a little cold on the bench.”

Lloyd also jokingly changed Brigger’s title to EMOLY β€” Equipment Manager of Last Year.

β€œWe added the β€˜L’ in there, so let’s see if he could drop the β€˜L.’ He’s working,” Lloyd said.

Keeping it 100

Arizona scored more than 100 points for the first time since the Wildcats beat Long Beach State 104-67 on Nov. 24, 2019.

Bennedict Mathurin splashes first 3s of season

Arizona second-year star wing Bennedict Mathurin made his first 3-pointers of the season in the second half against UTRGV. Mathurin finished the night with 13 points on 4-for-8 shooting and 2-for-6 from beyond the arc. Mathurin’s 3s were the first he’s made since Arizona’s season finale at Oregon in March.

The big number 1,098

Miles between UTRGV and Tucson, which is close to a 16-hour drive. The closest airport to Edinburg, Texas, the location of UTRGV’s campus, is McAllen Airport in McAllen, Texas.

Another big number 60

Games it took for Arizona center Christian Koloko to tab his first double-double as a Wildcat. Koloko finished Friday night with a career-high 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting and 11 rebounds, while also recording five blocks and two assists in 19 minutes.

β€œI told you guys this all along, he’s really good,” Lloyd said of Koloko. β€œHe’s a really good player and I think he’s a force. He impacts the game every possession on both ends, and I think he’s going to gain more and more confidence as the season goes on.”

Koloko is the first Wildcat since Jordan Hill in 2008 to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a game, according to Pac-12 Network research manager Greg Mroz. Hill had 25 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks against San Diego State during the 2008-09 season.

β€œI felt good,” Koloko said. β€œJust coming in, I knew I had to be ready because (UTRGV) was undersized, so all the bigs had to be ready and I think that’s what we did tonight, and we did a good job.”

What’s a vaquero?

UTRGV’s mascot, the Vaquero, is one of five Division I colleges that uses a Spanish name for their mascot, joining the Cal State Northridge Matadors, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, San Diego Toreros and New Mexico Lobos.

A vaquero is a cowboy or cattle driver. The school earned its nickname in 2014, when UT-Pan American and UTRGV merged schools.


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Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 or jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter:

@JustinESports