TUCSON, Ariz. — After starting the new year with wins over Colorado and Utah, the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats are celebrating the player that led them to the victories as guard Caleb Love was named the Pac-12 men's basketball Player of the Week on Monday.
Love was a force for the Wildcats whose two wins came by an average of 33 points (97-50 over Colorado and 92-73 over Utah). Love averaged 19.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists per game in the two victories while also playing a big role on defense.
Love helped hold Colorado's KJ Simpson, the Pac-12's leading scorer, to just 10 points and forced him into eight turnovers, which was a season-high. Arizona's 47-point victory over the Buffaloes was also Arizona's largest margin of victory in a conference game since 1997.
Love scored 16 points against Colorado and 23 points against Utah.
This was the first time Love has been named the Player of the Week in the Pac-12. He was named the Rookie of the Week in the ACC twice when he played at North Carolina (January 25, 2021 and February 8, 2021).
Love beat out Arizona State's Jose Perez, Cal's Jaylon Tyson, Oregon's Jermaine Couisnard, Oregon State's Jordan Pope, Stanford's Michael Jones, USC's Kobe Johnson and Washington's Keion Brooks Jr. for the award.
Love is the third Wildcat to be named the Pac-12 Player of the Week this season after Kylan Boswell (November 13, 2023) and Oumar Ballo (December 26, 2023).
Love and the Wildcats will next be on the court on Saturday when they travel to Pullman, Washington, to play the Washington State Cougars.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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