It’s been a notable week for Arizona Basketball. The Wildcats followed up one of their best performances of the season, a 86-75 overtime win over then-No. 3 Iowa State, with a gritty road win over in-state rival Arizona State. Both games were not without fireworks, with Caleb Love drilling a 55-foot buzzer beater shot to force overtime against the Cyclones, and Bobby Hurley telling his players to head to the locker room with 30 seconds to play, preventing his Sun Devils from shaking hands at the end of the game. The Wildcats’ effort paid off on Monday, with Arizona climbing to No. 20 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, and Caleb Love earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors.
It’s the first time Arizona is featured in the AP Top 25 Poll since the Week 4 poll released on November 25. After starting the season 4-5, the Wildcats have been nearly flawless in Big 12 play, and are tied with the Houston Cougars for first-place with a 9-1 conference record.
Caleb’s Cats
A lot of Arizona’s success over the last week is due to Caleb Love, who is heating up at the right time for the Wildcats. Love scored 22 points, including the game-tying three, shooting 8-22 from the field and 4-13 from three against Iowa State. He also tallied a rebound, two assists, and two steals in the win over the Cyclones. He followed it up with a 27-point, six-rebound, and seven-assist performance against the Sun Devils, shooting 8-19 from the field, including 5-9 from beyond the arc. Love also finished with a block and a steal against ASU.
On the week, Love averaged 24.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals, while shooting 16-41 (39.0 percent) from the field, and 9-22 (40.9 percent) from three-point range. On the season, Love is averaging 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, shooting 39.2 percent from the field.
It’s the fourth weekly award for Love, who earned Pac-12 Player of the Week last January, as well as two ACC Freshman of the Week awards at North Carolina. Love was also the 2024 Pac-12 Player of the Year. Caleb Love is also the first Arizona player to win a Big 12 Player of the Week award since the Wildcats joined the conference.
Up next, the Wildcats head to Provo to face the BYU Cougars. The game tips on Tuesday, February 4, at 9:00 PM MST on ESPN. Arizona then returns home for a Top-20 show down with No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday, February 8, at 8:00 PM MST on ESPN.