"1st pick possibly": College hoops fans react to Arizona's Caleb Love preparing for his last college season
Caleb Love showcased why he is one of the best fifth-year seniors in the NCAA circuit during Arizona’s Red-Blue scrimmage on Friday. The guard put an array of moves in the friendly matchup, posting 19 points on 66% shooting (8-12).
Love played his first three college seasons with the North Carolina Tar Heels, averaging 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals on 36.0% shooting. He transferred to the Wildcats last season, posting 18.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.4 apg and 1.2 spg while making 41.3% of his shots.
On Sunday, "SlamUniversity" on Instagram shared a unique detail of Love's jersey number in a post along with some highlights from his recent outing.
"Caleb Love rocking #1 for his last college season 😈🚨," the caption read.
Mesmerized by witnessing their Wildcats early, fans flooded an Instagram post's comment section with high praises for Caleb Love.
"1st pick possibly," a fan wrote.
"Love vs RJ Davis on march madness... the Deja Kelly backcourt duel i hope to see in march," another fan commented.
"Yall don’t think he’s top 10? I wan hear it explain," another posted.
Meanwhile, some fans poked fun at Love's extended college journey and his super senior status.
"How long does it take to become senior nowadays..?" a fan commented.
"Looking to have a standout 9th year," another fan wrote.
"Bro been in college longer than Julian Newman was in high school. 😭😂," another commented.
Why did Caleb Love leave Tar Heels?
Love’s transfer to the Arizona Wildcats came in May 2023. He saw nearly 28 minutes per game in his freshman year and had developed to be one of the cherished players of the program.
However, despite Love’s growth, there were concerns regarding inconsistency within the Tar Heels roster. This led to the prestigious program falling short frequently. As a result, a lot of pressure came from Love’s side. He was labeled as a bad teammate and his ability to convert tough shots was questioned, causing a fallout with his team.
Initially, Caleb Love was eyeing a Michigan jersey. However, he shared a bond with Arizona’s assistant coach, Steve Robinson, who was one of his recruiters in high school. He helped Love ease into the Wildcats early on, which resulted in his best college averages last season.