The University of Arizona men’s basketball team has seen Caleb Love become the centerpiece of Tommy Lloyd’s Wildcat squad, becoming a quintessential playmaker and leader who will look to one day have his jersey hung in the rafters. Love’s illustrious college career has seen him from his first three years as a Tar Heel at the University of North Carolina to becoming the embodiment of Wildcat basketball in Tucson.
Love’s roots come from his upbringing in St. Louis, Mo., where Love would catch the eyes of colleges nationwide. As a senior at Christian Brothers College High School in 2019-2020, Love averaged 26.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists. His high school success found him rating as a top-20 recruit across Rivals, 24/7 Sports and ESPN. He closed his high school career as one of the most decorated high school athletes in Missouri. Love went onto win the 2020 Mr. Show-Me Basketball and Missouri’s Gatorade Player of the Year while also being named a McDonald’s All-American.
Love’s success culminated with his commitment to the UNC Tar Heels. He selected UNC after narrowing down his selection pool to the University of Missouri, the University of Kansas, the University of Louisville, Indiana University and ironically, Arizona. Before Love even touched a collegiate court, he would be touted as a lock as a top-10 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Love’s time as a Tar Heel will forever be remembered by the team’s run in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Love, Armando Bacot, RJ Davis and Brady Manek would be instrumental in leading the No. 8 Tar Heels to the National Championship game following tremendous success and upsets along the way. From defeating the then-reigning champions Baylor University, the Cinderella Saint Peter’s University, and in-state rivals Duke University.
Against Duke in the Final Four, Love iced the game for the Tar Heels after draining a 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining. He followed this by sinking three clutch free throws to put UNC over the edge, 81-77. UNC then went on to fall short 72-69 to Kansas in the National Championship as Love struggled, shooting 5 of 24 with 13 points and missing a last-second three-pointer that would have sent the game to overtime.
The title game appearance was seen to be short-lived, as UNC missed out on the NCAA Tournament entirely during the 2022-2023 season. In the weeks following, the world saw Love enter his name into the transfer portal, searching for a new opportunity. Although the switch of schools initially looked like Love would transfer to the University of Michigan, transfer credit issues saw the guard switching his commitment to Arizona.
Love entered the Wildcats as the team’s mentor and leader, growing from his position at UNC. Love’s impact was immediately felt as the Wildcats opened the 2023-2024 season on an 8-0 winning streak. This included defeating the likes of Love’s former foes in No. 2 Duke, No. 21 Michigan State University and No. 23 University of Wisconsin. This shot Arizona into No. 1 status, allowing the Wildcats to be put on further national notice.
Despite some tough losses throughout the year, Arizona finished out the regular season ranked No. 5 in the nation. The Wildcats’ record of 15-5 in conference play would be enough to secure them the regular season title. This was the Wildcats’ second regular-season conference title in three seasons.
This stellar season by the senior guard allowed Love to be named Pac-12 Player and Newcomer of the year honors, as well as making the All Pac-12 First team. Love was no stranger to conference battles, averaging 20 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists throughout the team’s 20 Pac-12 matchups. Arguably, Love’s best conference performance came against the University of Oregon on Jan. 27, 2024. Love recorded a season-high and Arizona career-high of 36 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field and 5-for-8 shooting beyond the arc.
The post-season proved to be a tumultuous one, with Love initially struggling in Pac-12 tournament play. In the Wildcats’ two games in the tournament, Love averaged 8.5 points on 26% shooting from the field. Despite getting knocked out in the semifinal, eyes shifted to focus on the upcoming NCAA Tournament. March Madness wouldn’t bring Arizona too much success, as the Wildcats entered the tournament as a No. 2 seed, eventually succumbing to No. 6 Clemson University in the Sweet Sixteen.
Love’s first season as a Wildcat may not have finished how it was intended, but he continued to prove his role as Arizona’s leader day in and day out. Arizona’s identity almost became synonymous with Love, as he led the show. Love then entered his name into NBA Draft consideration, however, he would later pull this consideration to run it back with the Wildcats for his fifth year of collegiate basketball.
Love’s impact was felt immediately, and his experience shined as he brought an Arizona team to the Sweet Sixteen that had previously fallen out in the Round of 64 to No. 15 Princeton University the year prior. The accolades he received speak for him as well, his impact on the court in a new conference and leading the team to success was a tremendous start and one he wanted to prove yet again as the Wildcats entered the Big 12.
Love’s second year as a Wildcat and fifth in his collegiate career did not see immediate success as the Wildcats slipped 2-1 by the end of the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. The fifth-year guard would be instrumental in Arizona’s late season resurgence, as the Wildcats dominated conference play, tying for first with the University of Houston for most of the regular season, finishing the season with a 14-6 conference record placing fourth overall.
Love finished the season with seven 20+ point games, having his best statistical outing against TCU in the conference opener that saw Love drop 33 points, seven assists and seven rebounds. However, Love’s most memorable outing came against then-No. 3 Iowa State University, where he sent a beyond half-court heave to send the game to overtime, which the Wildcats ended up winning after Love put up two more 3-pointers in the extra period to secure the victory.
Arizona’s late season comeback didn’t stop in the regular season, as the Wildcats made a push in the Big 12 tournament. Arizona defeated the likes of the University of Kansas and Texas Tech University to reach the Big 12 Conference Championship. Love would be crucial in the upset over Texas Tech as he dropped 27 points on 5-for-8 shooting from beyond. The Wildcats would fall just short in the conference championship to Houston in a 72-64 loss. Despite falling short, Love posted 19 points and four rebounds.
Love and the Wildcats rode their momentum into the NCAA Tournament. Arizona first flew by the University of Akron in a 93-65 beat down. Love’s pedigree shined quickly as despite some shooting struggles, he was able to facilitate Arizona’s offense with seven rebounds and four assists. Arizona’s Round of 32 outing against former Pac-12 foe Oregon would not just show offensive facilitation, but his scoring prowess as he put up 29 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the arc with a season-high nine rebounds and four assists. Arizona’s 87-83 victory over the Ducks would pit them against Love’s longtime rivals of Duke in the Sweet Sixteen.
Love’s final collegiate game and final game as an Arizona Wildcat wasn’t without Love’s all. In Love’s ninth game against the Blue Devils, he gave everything for Arizona, putting up a season-high 35 points on 11-for-21 shooting from the field with four rebounds and one assist. Despite being overcome by Cooper Flagg and company, Love’s storied college career came to an end in an all-time performance.
Love systematically changed the way Arizona played and helped usher in a new era in Wildcat basketball under Tommy Lloyd. Love defined himself as the program’s leader and did nothing short of pushing the program to its best. While some may look back and say he fell short of getting Arizona a national championship, Love has left an indelible mark on Arizona, one that will take years to fill. Love’s prowess and experience allowed this team to adapt and take charge. Love’s leadership and commitment to team success looks to be passed to other key Arizona players and future Wildcats.
