North Carolina transfer Caleb Love commits to Arizona

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Love is now headed to Arizona.

The North Carolina transfer tweeted, less than a month after decommitting from Michigan, that he will play next season with the Wildcats.

“Caleb is a tremendously talented guard who has significant experience playing college basketball at a high level,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said in a statement. “We look forward to helping Caleb grow his game at Arizona. And as we near the completion of the roster for the upcoming season, we feel great about how everything has come together. Now it’s time for the real work to start.”

A 6-foot-4 guard, Love averaged 14.6 points and 3.3 assists in three seasons at North Carolina. He averaged 17.6 points in seven NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game.

Love entered the transfer portal after leading North Carolina with 73 3-pointers as a junior and initially committed to Michigan. He decommitted from the Wolverines earlier this month, reportedly due to an admissions issue involving academic credits.

Love narrowed his transfer targets to three schools before choosing to play at Arizona over Gonzaga and Texas.

Love will likely start on a team that will have dynamic perimeter players, including Pelle Larsson, Kylan Boswell and Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley.

Arizona women open March Madness with win over West Virginia

Associated PressMar 17, 2023, 6:58 PM EDT

Syndication: The Register Guard

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – When Shaina Pellington left the game with four fouls early in the third quarter, Arizona didn’t miss a beat.

In fact, freshman Kailyn Gilbert helped the Wildcats pull away.

Cate Reese scored 25 points and Esmery Martinez had a double-double against her former team, leading seventh-seeded Arizona to a 75-62 victory over 10th-seeded West Virginia in the women’s NCAA Tournament on Friday. The Wildcats went on a 16-3 run in the second half with Pellington on the bench.

“To be honest, I did not know how to take it at first, because I thought I wasn’t even going to go back in,” Gilbert said. “But then I was like, ‘You know what? I work hard every day. I’m in the gym. These are the moments I work for and I feel like I’m made for.’ I was just going to go in and have energy.”

Gilbert scored five points in 14:05, the longest outing for the 5-foot-8 guard since Jan. 29.

The Wildcats (22-9) started fast and never trailed, and will next play second-seeded Maryland. Arizona entered the tournament on a three-game losing streak, but had a couple weeks off before this matchup.

The Wildcats seemed refreshed early on, shooting 72% from the field in the first quarter. West Virginia was holding opponents to 61 points per game this season, but Arizona looked ready to breeze past that after just one quarter and a 28-17 lead.

“Anything we tried to get into from a defensive standpoint, we really had a hard time slowing them down,” West Virginia coach Dawn Plitzuweit said.

The Mountaineers (19-12) eventually settled in. It was a seven-point game at halftime, and Arizona’s lead was down to three early in the third. Pellington picked up her third and fourth fouls a few seconds apart in the third, but after two free throws by West Virginia made it 42-39, Arizona eventually pulled away again.

It was 61-51 after a foul-filled third quarter, and then the Wildcats scored the first seven points of the fourth. It was 68-57 when Pellington finally returned; she finished with 18 points.

Martinez, who played three seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Arizona, had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

“I knew she was a little bit more nervous today because I think she really had the itch to do well. I knew something was going on because she was talking to the doctor to get some Pepto or something because of her stomach, so that told me nerves right away,” Wildcats coach Adia Barnes said. “I’m proud of her today because the difficult thing for Esmery all year has been staying out of foul trouble, not going for blocks, and she had one foul.”

JJ Quinerly led West Virginia with 19 points.

BIG PICTURE

West Virginia: Plitzuweit guided South Dakota to the Sweet 16 last year, but a run like that didn’t materialize with the Mountaineers. They were playing catch-up from the start.

Arizona: The Wildcats were in the national title game two seasons ago, so a No. 7 seed isn’t exactly what they had in mind, but they were able to impose their will offensively for long enough to win comfortably in this one.

AVOIDING MISTAKES

West Virginia had only seven turnovers but was undone by 31% shooting.

“I’m proud of our young ladies because we battled back. In a lot of ways, we took care of the basketball against one of the best teams in the country at turning opponents over,” Plitzuweit said. “We got a lot of really good looks. Unfortunately for us, we are not a team that shoots it at an incredibly high percentage.”

AT THE LINE

Almost half the scoring in the third quarter came on free throws. West Virginia went 10 of 14 and Arizona was 8 for 8.

UP NEXT

Arizona: Lost at home in the second round last year to North Carolina. Now the Wildcats will be playing a road game against Maryland.

Henderson, Princeton stun Arizona 59-55 in NCAA Tournament

Associated PressMar 16, 2023, 7:44 PM EDT

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Mitch Henderson’s victory leap that punctuated Princeton’s famed upset over UCLA in 1996 has become an iconic moment. There is a picture of the joyous jump at the school’s practice facility that serves as a constant reminder of what’s possible.

Now Henderson’s current players have authored one of their own.

Ryan Langborg lifted Princeton to its first lead with 2:03 to play and the Tigers used a late-game run to earn their first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years, topping No. 2 seed Arizona 59-55 on Thursday.

“Pretty surreal feeling,” guard Matt Allocco said. “To beat a great team like that on this stage is a pretty special feeling. But also I can’t say I’m surprised. This team has been so good all year, so gritty. On paper, it’s going to look like a big upset. But we believe in each other and we think we’re a really good team. When we’re at our best, then I think we can beat anybody in the country.”

The 15th-seeded Tigers (22-9) scored the final nine points, holding the Pac-12 Tournament champion scoreless over the final 4:43.

Tosan Evbuomwan scored 15 points in Princeton’s first tournament victory since beating UNLV in 1998 when Henderson was a player for the Tigers.

Henderson also played on the 1996 team that beat defending champion UCLA in the school’s final tournament under coach Pete Carril, who died in August. This victory fittingly came in Sacramento, where Carril spent time as an NBA assistant after retiring as Tigers coach.

“He would be very proud of the group,” Henderson said. “He wouldn’t want any attention to be brought other than what these guys did. They played to win. We knew we had to keep the game low possessions.”

Princeton advanced to play seventh-seeded Missouri in the second round of the South Region. The Tigers beat Utah State 76-65.

Azuolas Tubelis scored 21 points for the Wildcats (28-7), who haven’t won a tournament game in consecutive years since 2014-15.

It marked the third straight year and 11th time overall that a No. 15 seed won a first-round game. Arizona is the only school to be on the wrong end of one of those upsets twice, also losing to Steve Nash and Santa Clara in 1993.

“If you want to be a great player, you want to be a great coach, we all got to learn from this,’” coach Tommy Lloyd said. “We got to go back and figure out what happened and understand the value of being up 10 to 12 points with 10 minutes to go, putting the hammer on people, not letting people get back in the game.”

The Wildcats seemed in control of this one when Oumar Ballo’s basket put them up 10 with eight minutes left.

But the Tigers responded with seven straight points, capped by a second-chance 3-pointer from Blake Peters that made it 51-48 with about six minutes left.

They closed the game with a 9-0 run – just like they did in their most memorable tournament win against UCLA in 1996.

Keeshawn Kellman started the spurt with a putback dunk before Langborg hit a jumper and then a layup to give the Tigers the lead.

The Wildcats then missed all five shots down the stretch and Princeton put it away at the foul line. Langborg also blocked Courtney Ramey’s shot with 50 seconds left and the Tigers protecting a one-point lead.

“When I blocked it I saw the whole crowd erupt,” he said. “My teammates were all locked in with each other and it was kind of that moment where you know, like, ‘Wow we can really do this. We’re going to do this and nothing’s going to stop us.’”

Ramey, who hit a game-winning shot in the Pac-12 Tournament, missed a contested 3-pointer with 14 seconds left that could have tied the game. Kerr Kriisa also missed from long range after an offensive rebound, sending Princeton into an early celebration.

LET THEM PLAY

The game featured just 12 free throws, with four coming after intentional fouls by Arizona late in the game. The Wildcats went to the line seven times despite a big size advantage with Tubelis and Bello.

“You go inside over and over and over again, and you shoot seven free throws. I mean, I don’t know if they’re fouls or not. They must not have been because obviously they didn’t get called,” Lloyd said. “When the game is reffed like that, it makes it tough.”

BIG PICTURE

Princeton: The Tigers gave the Ivy League its first tournament win since 2016 when Yale beat Baylor. The conference had been one-and-done the last four trips, having missed the 2021 edition because of COVID-19.

Arizona: The Wildcats got little help offensively outside of Tubelis and Ballo, who combined for 35 points. The rest of the team shot 9 for 27.

UP NEXT

Princeton will look to win two games in the tournament for the first time since 1983.

Courtney Ramey lifts No. 8 Arizona over No. 2 UCLA for Pac-12 title

Associated PressMar 12, 2023, 11:19 AM EDT

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

LAS VEGAS — Courtney Ramey had missed all four of his previous 3-point attempts when the ball wound up back in his hands at the most critical moment.

Ramey shook a defender and then calmly drilled one from the top of the key with 16.7 seconds left to put Arizona in front. The eighth-ranked Wildcats hung on from there, beating No. 2 UCLA 61-59 in the Pac-12 championship game.

“I kept telling myself, the next shot is going in,” Ramey said. “My job was to make a play.”

The Wildcats (28-6) boosted their case for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA (29-5) still hopes to land the No. 1 seed in the West and return to Las Vegas in two weeks for the regional.

It was the second year in a row Arizona beat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game.

Arizona second-year coach Tommy Lloyd can’t lose in Las Vegas. He is 9-0 in the city, 8-0 at T-Mobile Arena and 6-0 in the Pac-12 Tournament.

“It was a knock down, drag out and I had a feeling it was going to be that way,” Lloyd said. “So much respect for the UCLA program. Obviously, they’re going through a lot of injury stuff right now, but they’re resilient and I knew it was going to be like that.”

Ramey’s 3-pointer put the Wildcats ahead 60-58. The clutch shot came after teammate Azuolas Tubelis missed a 3 that was rebounded by Pelle Larsson, who got the ball to Ramey.

UCLA guard Tyger Campbell was fouled with 6.8 seconds left, and he made the first free throw but missed the second. Tubelis hit one of two free throws with 5.8 seconds to go, and UCLA’s Dylan Andrews missed a 3 at the buzzer to ensure Arizona’s victory.

“Wide-open shot to win the game,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “Tyger’s beating himself up over a missed free throw, but that had nothing to do with some of our bad fouls and defensive breakdowns. Those are controllables. I’ll take Tyger at the line and put my career on the line with Tyger at the line.”

Tubelis, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, had 19 points and 14 rebounds for second-seeded Arizona. Oumar Ballo scored 13 points and Larsson had 11.

Amari Bailey led top-seeded UCLA with 19 points. Campbell scored 16 and Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bruins knew coming in they wouldn’t have guard Jaylen Clark (lower leg) or Adem Bona (shoulder), and their problems only mounted when two of Bona’s replacements in the post got into foul trouble.

Mac Etienne and Kenneth Nwuba each had four fouls in the second half, forcing Cronin to play at least one of them. Etienne fouled out with 9:35 left and Nwuba with 4:27 remaining, meaning the Bruins had to play with a smaller lineup the rest of the game.

Arizona wasn’t completely healthy, either. Point guard Kerr Kriisa has been playing with a balky shoulder during the tournament.

POSTGAME COMMOTION

An Arizona fan was yelling at Cronin’s dad, Hep, after the game, according to UCLA radio broadcaster Josh Lewin. When a reporter told Cronin afterward, he immediately left the postgame news conference. Athletic director Martin Jarmond quickly followed him.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona: The Wildcats entered the game just 10 3-pointers behind their school record set in the 2010-11 season. But long-range shots didn’t fall for them against the Bruins until the end. Arizona went 6 of 20 from beyond the arc.

UCLA: The question is the health of Clark and Bona. Cronin won’t provide any information other than saying before the Pac-12 Tournament that Clark wouldn’t play. UCLA was easily the class of the Pac-12 this season, but not having those players was quite noticeable, especially against Arizona.

UP NEXT

Arizona: Likely will be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

UCLA: Almost certainly a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA tourney.

UCLA’s Jaquez Jr., Cronin highlight AP All-Pac-12 team

Associated PressMar 7, 2023, 5:46 PM EST

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s decision to return for his senior season worked out quite well for No. 2 UCLA.

Jaquez was named The Associated Press player of the year in the Pac-12 and Bruins coach Mick Cronin is the conference coach of the year. Washington forward Keion Brooks was named Pac-12 newcomer of the year by an eight-person panel of journalists who cover the conference.

Jaquez considered leaving Westwood for the NBA after three productive seasons that included a trip the Final Four and the Sweet 16 in consecutive years. The crafty 6-foot-7 swing man had another boxscore-stuffing season in his return, averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while helping lead the Bruins to their first Pac-12 regular-season title in a decade.

Cronin has returned UCLA to prominence in four seasons since leaving Cincinnati. The Bruins had deep NCAA Tournament runs the past two seasons and were the class of the Pac-12 this year.

UCLA went 27-4 overall during the regular season, 18-2 in Pac-12 play and had its first undefeated home season (17-0) since 2006-07. The Bruins have the nation’s longest active home winning streak at 25 games and are the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament this week in Las Vegas.

Brooks had an immediate impact at Washington after transferring from Kentucky. The 6-foot-7 forward was third in Pac-12 scoring at 17.8 points per game while grabbing 6.9 rebounds.

FIRST TEAM

u-Guard – Tyger Campbell, UCLA, Sr., 5-11, 180, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Guard – Boogie Ellis, USC, Sr., 6-3, 185, San Diego.

u-Forward – Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA, Sr., 6-7, 225, Camarillo, California.

u-Forward – Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona, Jr., 6-11, 245, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Center – Branden Carlson, Utah, Sr., 7-0, 228, South Jordan, Utah.

-“u” denotes unanimous selection.

SECOND TEAM

Guard – Drew Peterson, USC, Sr., 6-9, 205, Libertyville, Illinois.

Guard – Keion Brooks Jr., Washington, Sr., 6-7, 210, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Forward – Mouhamed Gueye, Washington St., So., 6-11, 210, Dakar, Senegal.

Forward – N’Faly Dante, Oregon, Sr., 6-11, 230, Bamako, Mali.

Center – Oumar Ballo, Arizona, Jr., 7-0, 260, Koulikoro, Mali.

—

Player of the year – Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA.

Coach of the year – Mick Cronin, UCLA.

Newcomer of the year – Keion Brooks, Washington.

—

All-Pac-12 voting panel: Bruce Pascoe, Arizona Daily Star; Michelle Gardner, Arizona Republic; Paul Klee, Colorado Springs Gazette; Adam Grosbard, Orange County Register; Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News; James Crepea, The Oregonian; Pat Rooney, BuffZone.com; Jesse Sowa, Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Arizona State stuns No. 7 Arizona 89-88 on Cambridge’s heave

Associated PressFeb 26, 2023, 1:09 AM EST

Zachary BonDurant/USA TODAY Sports

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona State’s latest rivalry loss appeared imminent even after a late rally, with a desperate heave all that was left.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. cashed it in, swishing a McKale miracle to keep the Sun Devils’ NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Cambridge Jr. hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer and Arizona State rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat No. 7 Arizona 89-88 on Saturday.

“I did not think that shot was going in,” said Cambridge, who finished with 19 points. “I just wanted to have a nice miss and everyone in the crowd go, “ohhh!” Once it went in, I literally could only scream because I couldn’t make sense of it.”

The Wildcats (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) led by 10 before going more than six minutes without a field goal as Arizona State pulled ahead by one.

The Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) went up 86-85 on Warren Washington’s layup with just a minute left, but Pelle Larsson put Arizona back up on a layup with 29 seconds left.

Arizona State’s DJ Horne missed a jumper with four seconds left and the Sun Devils had a final shot after Oumar Ballo hit 1 of 2 free throws.

Catching the ball with 2.4 seconds left, Cambridge left the fans at McKale Center stunned, launching a shot from beyond half-court that sent his teammates charging onto the floor in celebration.

“We were sitting on pocket aces and it happens sometimes,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said.

Cedric Henderson Jr. led Arizona with 19 points and Azuoulas Tubelis added 17.

In the first meeting, Arizona State went on a big run to open the second half, but Lloyd didn’t call a timeout, letting his team play through the adversity. The Wildcats responded with a run over their own for a 69-60 win on a night when neither team shot better than 37%.

The rematch was all about the offense.

The Sun Devils hit as many 3-pointers in the first eight minutes as they did the entire first game and shot 20 of 34 from the floor to lead 46-45.

The Wildcats hit 16 of 27 shots, including Henderson’s buzzer-beating 3, but went 7 of 14 on free throws.

The good shooting trailed off only slightly to start the second half.

Arizona went on a short run to build a six-point lead and the Sun Devils started taking questionable shots, allowing the Wildcats to stretch it to 78-68.

Even after turning up the defensive pressure to get back in it, Arizona State appeared to be down and out – until Cambridge came to the rescue, ending the Sun Devils’ five-game losing streak to Arizona.

“A lot of people were jumping ship and thinking we’re not that team, but we are that team and the guys proved it tonight by going toe to toe with a team like Arizona on their home floor this late in the season,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said.

NUNEZ OUT

Arizona State played without guard Austin Nunez, who was in concussion protocol after being injured against Utah last week.

The freshman point guard is averaging 4.5 points while giving the Sun Devils an energy boost off the bench.

FREE THROW WOES

Arizona had a huge advantage in free throws, outscoring Arizona State by 12 at the line.

The Wildcats could have used a few more to go in, finishing 23 of 34.

“You’d like to be make one or two more, it probably makes a difference,” Lloyd said.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State: The Sun Devils needed some kind of boost for their NCAA Tournament chances. One of the most stunning finishes in the history of the rivalry certainly should help.

Arizona: The Wildcats were in control before going cold from the field at the wrong time. Their seniors will never forget how their final home game ended after Cambridge’s stunner.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Plays at No. 4 UCLA on Thursday.

Arizona: Plays at Southern California on Thursday.