Achi news desk-
Arizona’s Caleb Love arrived from North Carolina with a reputation. He was selfish, a bad teammate, took too many bad shots.
As is the case with most social media hype, the perception didn’t match reality after Love put on a Wildcats uniform.
“Everybody had these preconceived notions about the kid coming out of Carolina and it couldn’t have been further from the truth,” Arizona associate head coach Jack Murphy said. “He’s been an amazing teammate, an amazing competitor and a great learner.”
The Wildcats are in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years under coach Tommy Lloyd, facing Clemson in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Love has been a huge part of Arizona’s success.
The 6-foot-4 guard leads the Wildcats with 18.1 points per game while averaging 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He was named the Pac-12 player of the year and a third-team Associated Press All-American after leading Arizona to the Pac-12 regular season title.
Love has also given Arizona something it’s been missing the past few years: someone who doesn’t wilt when the game is on the line.
A year ago, Arizona found itself in a tight game against Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Without a go-to player, the Wildcats couldn’t come up with the big plays down the stretch and were bounced out of the bracket as the No. 2 seed, quickly extinguishing what was expected to be a deep run in March.
It will not be so during this year’s crunch time.
“You want to play in these moments, these big-time games,” Love said. “I dreamed about this as a kid, watching March Madness, wanting to be on stage and I think I’m rising to the occasion.”
Love has a proven track record in that department.
At North Carolina, he scored 30 points against UCLA in the 2022 Sweet 16 and followed that up by scoring 22 of his 28 in the second half against rival Duke in the Final Four, sending the Tar Heels to the championship game. Love quickly proved his worth in Arizona, making all the key plays down the stretch in a win at Duke during his second game in a Wildcats uniform.
“He’s not afraid of the moment,” Murphy said. “At the end of the day, he’s a winner. He doesn’t shy away from it”
Love’s reputation for taking and making tough shots was popular last season as North Carolina became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels had plenty of issues, but Love took the brunt of the criticism, earning a reputation – deservedly or not – for being selfish.
Love’s decision to transfer to Arizona raised a few eyebrows, even among his future teammates.
“Just knowing what social media was feeding me — Caleb Love is a bad teammate and a distraction,” Arizona point guard Kylan Boswell said after Arizona’s win over Dayton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last weekend . “I was open minded about him coming in, but I really didn’t know how this was going to go. But the first day I met him, I was like, oh, this is going to be okay. “
It certainly has been.
When Love first arrived in the desert, he told Lloyd he wanted to train hard to become a better overall player. Love has embraced Lloyd’s team-only approach, playing the go-to role while staying within the framework of Arizona’s offense.
From time to time Lloyd has to give the pump-the-brakes sign when Love takes heat shots that don’t go in, but he’s been a perfect match for the most part.
Love is shooting a career-best 42% from the floor and his scoring average is nearly two points per game more than his previous best. His efficiency and assists are also career bests and his defense may be the best it has been.
“At this point, all I care about is winning,” Love said. “I don’t care if I’m on the court, on the bench, or in the stands. I play Arizona basketball and Arizona basketball is not about me.”
In just one season, Love has changed the narrative of his career and made Arizona basketball better for it.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
