The Arizona Wildcats are receiving national attention as the season grows near.
On Monday, the Associated Press announced their preseason All-America team, naming the top five players in the country entering the year. On the list was Arizona’s guard Caleb Love who will return for his second season with the Wildcats.
The 2023 Pac-12 player of the year decided to return for his final year of eligibility in 2024 after averaging 18 points per game for the program. He also led the team in 3-pointers made (92), field goals (218), and free throws (120).
“He’s kind of this last generation of player that’s going to get better with this extra year, and so I just encourage him to take advantage of it.” said Arizona’s head coach Tommy Lloyd.
The 6’4” guard had a great college career with the North Carolina Tar Heels before moving to the desert at the beginning of last season. The fifth-year senior looked to already be in mid-season form after leading the team with 19 points in the program’s annual Red-Blue Showcase.
He was previously named to the preseason All-Big-12 First Team, and the Wildcats are preparing to make a run in the NCAA Tournament. They were upset in the first round last season after falling 59-55 to 15-seed Princeton Tigers.
🚨 AP Preseason All-America First-Team
🏀 Mark Sears
🏀 Caleb Love
🏀 RJ Davis
🏀 Cooper Flagg
🏀 Johni Broome
🏀 Hunter Dickinson pic.twitter.com/EaqIt85f8Z— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 21, 2024
Love is joined by five other players on the list, including another from the Big 12 conference. Kansas Jayhawks Hunter Dickinson, another transfer into the program last year, was named an AP preseason All-American. His return, like Love’s, has given the program a high sense of expectation as the Jayhawks begin the season ranked number one in the country.
The two conference members named to the prestigious list will not face off until the final game of the regular season. The Wildcats will travel to Lawrence on March 8th to take on the Jayhawks before the Big 12 tournament.
The other four named to the list are Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome, Duke Blue Devils freshman Cooper Flagg, Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears, and North Carolina guard RJ Davis.
Both Love and Flagg tied for the final spot, creating the rare six-man list.
Arizona will play Duke on November 22nd at the McKale Memorial Center in the fourth game of the season. Duke is ranked seventh in the country in the AP Top 25 preseason polls.
Love and the Wildcats will play two exhibitions, one against Eastern New Mexico tonight, October 21st, and Point Loma a week later, before getting their 2024/25 season underway. They will open the regular season at home on November 4th as they host Canisius University.
