Pac-12 Basketball

Arizona's Caleb Love may have lost ASU head coach Bobby Hurley's All-Big 12 vote after Saturday's mid-game altercation with BJ Freeman.

"I do get a vote for all-conference, and I can tell you who's not getting the vote," Hurley said Saturday, per Arizona Sports.

ASU coach Bobby Hurley says he will not vote for Arizona's Caleb Love for an All-Big 12 team. pic.twitter.com/c69hyXYFFx

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) February 1, 2025

Both players were assessed technical fouls and ejected from Saturday's rivalry game following a scuffle in the second half that involved Freeman head-butting Love.

Caleb Love has been ejected after a confrontation with Arizona State's BJ Freeman. pic.twitter.com/sQx2iMjblB

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 1, 2025

Hurley responded by clearing the bench with 30 seconds remaining and forgoing handshakes after ASU's 81-72 loss.

Both Bobby Hurley and Tommy Lloyd agreed to skip the handshake line after things got chippy towards the end of the game. pic.twitter.com/YaXRIbuLXP

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 1, 2025

When asked about the decision to not shake hands with Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd after the game, Hurley answered: "If you were right near our bench, it was relentless, constant chatter from a couple of the Arizona players that was not being policed properly."

"And of course, they're going to be happy with winning, but it was done with no class," Hurley said (h/t 247Sports' Chris Karpman.) "And words that were said, back and forth, led to the moment where Freeman lost it, and lost his cool, because of the constant talk that was allowed to go on.

"So, I had to make the tough decision to obviously, in the best interest of our team, to get them into the locker rooms so there would be no further incidents in the rest of the game."

Bobby Hurley said Arizona’s players were classless in their chatter before Freeman’s head butt of Love, leading to his decision to not shake hands to try to avoid an escalation. pic.twitter.com/63SQwXEXf6

— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) February 1, 2025

Lloyd meanwhile said the clash at the end of the game was "disappointing, probably on all sides."

"We want to be a program that, when tough things happen, we want to respond with class, and I don't know if we did or didn't," Lloyd said (h/t Mark McClune.) "Just a tough moment in an emotional game."

Tommy Lloyd says there no bad blood about no post game hand shake. pic.twitter.com/WKtdYcKm0h

— Mark McClune (@MarkMcClune) February 1, 2025

Love, who is playing in his fifth college season and second with Arizona, was named Pac-12 Player of the Year last season. It looks like Hurley would like to push against him earning more honors in his new conference following the Wildcats' move to the Big 12 ahead of the 2023-25 season.

Saturday's loss marked the fourth straight game the Sun Devils have dropped to their in-state rivals. ASU is now 1-9 in their last ten matchups with Arizona, with their lone win over that streak coming in February 2023.

Hurley and Lloyd's teams will meet again on March 4, when Arizona hosts the rivalry matchup at McKale Center.

Having lost three straight and four of their last five games, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin's frustration boiled over when he was ejected late in the second half of Friday's 79-61 loss to Maryland.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Cronin explained "I'm tired of it" in reference to feeling like his team was being put in unfair situations by the officials.

"I don't remember the last time I had a technical," he said. "I had enough. I'm sending a message. I'm tired of it. I know we're the outsider and all that—us, SC and Oregon—but that was ridiculous. And take nothing away from Maryland, a really good team at home, but you got to defend my players. If you can just mug guys and chop their arms off, throw them out of the way, it's hard to run any offense.

Mick Cronin is given a technical and ejected from the game pic.twitter.com/nRSeYSDc5y

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 11, 2025

Cronin's patience is starting to wear thin with everyone right now. He called his team "soft" after a 94-75 home loss to Michigan on Tuesday.

"Obviously, they shot the ball well," he said. "But we're soft. We're too soft to play hard enough. Even in the [crucial moments], you can't get a rebound. ... So don't tell me you want to win. Just don't tell you want to win. I mean, we're soft. To be fair, they have a unique skill set. But we're soft."

The comments amid the most difficult stretch of the season so far for the Bruins. Their last two losses have come by a combined 37 points. They reached a high mark of 15th in the AP Top 25 poll for the week of Dec. 30, but dropped to No. 22 this week and will likely fall out of the rankings that come out next week.

UCLA started the season 10-1, highlighted by a road victory over then-undefeated Oregon on Dec. 8.

The biggest issue for the Bruins is offense. Two of their three lowest scoring games of the season have come in the past six days, against Maryland on Friday and Nebraska on Jan. 4.

UCLA ranks 147th in the nation in offensive rating and 194th in points per game. This puts more pressure on a really good defense that ranks 13th rating, but has allowed its two highest point totals of the season in these past two games.

The schedule does ease up a little bit for the Bruins in the next few games with matchups against Rutgers and Washington sandwiched between a showdown with Iowa.

Gonzaga is leaving the West Coast Conference for the Pac-12.

Gonzaga and the Pac-12 announced on Tuesday that the Bulldogs will join the conference as its eighth member beginning July 1, 2026.

"Following discussions with Pac-12 member presidents, I believe membership will represent an opportunity to participate in building a conference that imagines new, forward-thinking ways to support student-athletes in a rapidly changing collegiate sports landscape," Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh said.

"Partnerships with a new group of universities can also assist in our student recruitment and enrollment efforts, create opportunities for academic collaboration with new faculty colleagues, and attract more students who value an excellent education distinctively rooted in our Jesuit identity and tradition. I am particularly excited about the opportunities partnering with this group of institutions can offer our students, faculty, and staff for multi-institutional collaboration."

Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported last week that Gonzaga was Pac-12-bound and would receive a "full conference revenue share" despite not having a football program, but Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford told Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review at the time that it was "not accurate reporting."

Ten of 12 Pac-12 member schools have departed over the past year, leaving only Oregon State and Washington State behind.

The Pac-12 got creative by negotiating a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West Conference for Oregon State and Washington State in football this season while making the schools associate members of the West Coast Conference in basketball.

While not a power conference, the WCC has been a power in basketball thanks largely to the presence of Gonzaga, although Saint Mary's, San Francisco and some other programs have had success as well.

Gonzaga has been the class of the conference, though, and it has been among the elite programs in men's college basketball for years, reaching the NCAA tournament each of the past 25 times it has been held.

That run has not yielded a national championship, but the Bulldogs have twice finished as the national runner-up.

Gonzaga will become the eighth Pac-12 member school once it is officially added, as the Pac-12 has been hard at work in recent weeks when it comes to rebuilding the conference.

The Pac-12 has also secured commitments from Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State, Fresno State and Utah State to leave the Mountain West Conference, giving the Pac-12 seven member schools in football.

While Gonzaga will be the eighth member school overall, the Pac-12 still needs at least one more member school in football to be recognized by the FBS as an official conference that is eligible for the College Football Playoff.

The Pac-12 figures to reach that threshold in the near future as it continues to add schools, but the addition of Gonzaga ensures that it will be a significant conference in basketball regardless.

Gonzaga reached the national championship game in 2021 and San Diego State did the same in 2023, meaning the Pac-12 will have two high-end basketball schools capable of contending for a national title.

That means the Pac-12 may be viewed as more of a basketball conference than a football conference moving forward, although Boise State has long been an elite Group of Five football team that could become a legitimate contender in a bigger conference.

Gonzaga will bring some instant credibility to the Pac-12 in basketball, while the West Coast Conference will be dealt a major blow with Saint Mary's likely ascending to the top of the conference in the Zags' place.

Kiyan Anthony could wind up suiting up for the same college that Bronny James once played for .

The son of Carmelo Anthony made an official visit to USC, where James spent his only collegiate season in 2023-24. He was with his father and took several photos donning Trojan gear.

No. 1 player in NY, Kiyan Anthony on his official visit to USC👀🔥

What do y’all think should he be a Trojan? pic.twitter.com/qaESBoK2Qy

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) September 29, 2024

He is the No. 1 player in New York and rated as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports composite rankings. His father is notably a legend from the Syracuse program and Anthony is also a candidate to follow his father's path.

He has received 21 scholarship offers, including schools like Rutgers, Florida State and Ohio State. He possesses a 6'5", 185-pound frame and plays for Long Island Lutheran in Glen Head, New York.

His father played one collegiate season with the Orange and it was a dominant one. He averaged 22.2 points, 10 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35 games. He was named a consensus All-American and helped lead the Orange to a National Championship.

While these would be nearly impossible standards to live up to, the younger Anthony is an intriguing prospect and could choose to pursue a different path from his father.

The Pac-12's revitalization took another potential step on Monday.

According to multiple reports, Gonzaga and the conference are in discussions to have the Bulldogs join the Pac-12 as a basketball school, though an agreement isn't finalized:

The report stating that Gonzaga is headed to the Pac-12 is not accurate, source close to the discussions tells @NBCSports. Both sides have had/are having serious conversations, but nothing has been agreed upon by the parties at this point.

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) September 23, 2024

The Pac-12 has had discussions with Gonzaga about joining the conference and while it could lead to an agreement, nothing has been agreed to yet, per source..

— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) September 23, 2024

Sources: Contrary to reports, Gonzaga currently has no deal in place to leave the WCC for the Pac-12.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 23, 2024

Brett McMurphy of Action Network had previously reported that a deal was complete and that the Bulldogs would receive "a full conference revenue share" despite not participating in football.

Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford denied a deal was done, per Jim Meehan of the Spokesman-Review:

"That is not accurate reporting."
Gonzaga athletic director Chris Standiford on Brett McMurphy's report on X that GU is leaving the WCC for the Pac-12.

— Jim Meehan (@SRJimm) September 23, 2024

The Pac-12 still needs two more football schools to join Oregon State, Washington State, Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State. The conference has until 2026 to have eight football members to be eligible for a potential automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.

The potential alignment comes in the wake of a number of reported Pac-12 targets, prominently Memphis and Tulane, announcing on Monday that they were remaining in the American Athletic Conference:

We are the American Athletic Conference. pic.twitter.com/nuwCtF0dQz

— The American (@American_Conf) September 23, 2024

Both the Pac-12 and AAC were dealt a blow for their own expansion plans, meanwhile, after Air Force recommitted to the Mountain West Conference, per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. Air Force is "signing or expected to soon sign a new grant-of-rights deal with financial incentives," according to that report.

With Memphis, Tulane, South Florida, UTSA and Air Force now off the table for the Pac-12, the conference may turn to UNLV and Utah State, as both programs have "already seen the league's expansion presentation," per Dellenger.

The race to either add football programs or retain them has been prompted by two factors: the Pac-12 trying to remake itself after losing all but two members ahead of the 2024 season, and a number of conferences trying to strengthen themselves as much as possible given the College Football Playoff's automatic bid for the five highest-ranked conference champions.

Generally, four of those berths will go to the two powerhouse conferences (SEC, Big Ten) and the two strongest conferences behind them (Big 12, ACC). With that fifth bid up for grabs, however, conferences like the Pac-12, Mountain West and AAC would benefit from stacking themselves with strong football programs in an attempt to ensure a playoff berth each year.

The Pac-12 already raided the Mountain West of their four strongest football programs, but efforts to add some of the top remaining schools on the board have thus far been rebutted.

As for Gonzaga, the Bulldogs would be a fantastic addition on the basketball side of things, though that would do little to aid in the efforts to establish the Pac-12 as the fifth-strongest football conference in the country.

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura added that the Pac-12 and Saint Mary's have had preliminary discussions as well, a potential move that would add another strong basketball program to the conference.

After testing the waters of the NBA draft, combo guard Caleb Love has decided he's not ready to end his college career just yet, announcing Wednesday that he is forgoing the 2024 NBA draft and will use his fifth year of eligibility to return to the Wildcats.

NEWS: All-American guard Caleb Love is going back to Arizona. Solidifies the Wildcats as a preseason top-10 team. https://t.co/q4XRqqseKT

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 29, 2024

He maintained his college eligibility when he initially declared for the draft on April 16.

Love starred at North Carolina for his first three years in college and entered the transfer portal after his junior season. After initially committing to Michigan, he decommitted a month later and eventually found a home in Arizona, where he thrived.

During the 2023-24 campaign, Love started all 36 games and led the Wildcats with 18 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals, leading the Wildcats to a 27-9 record and the Pac-12 regular-season title. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Wooden, Naismith, Robertson and Cousy national awards.

Arizona lost to Oregon in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament. After being named a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats were bounced out of the Sweet 16 in an upset loss to No. 6 Clemson. Love had lackluster showings in both games, as he posted six points on 2-of-11 shooting against the Ducks and 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting in the loss to the Tigers.

A 6'4" and 205-pound guard, Love can impact the game both as a scorer and as a facilitator. He would have been an attractive player in this year's NBA draft class, but teams will have to wait another year to get a shot at bringing him into the fold.

With Love returning to Arizona, the Wildcats will be in great shape to make some noise immediately when they jump to the Big 12 at the start of next season.

Former Utah State forward Great Osobor is transferring to Washington after reaching NIL deals worth $2 million.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN reviewed the deals, which will give Osobor the "highest-known valuation in college basketball this season."

"I would like to thank God for putting me in this position," Osobor said. "Washington will allow me to maximize my potential as a player in my final year of college basketball. Coach [Danny] Sprinkle has been with me every step of the way since I came from England, and I cannot wait to help the Huskies get back to the NCAA tournament."

Osobor, who grew up in England before coming to the United States to play college basketball, began his career at Montana State before transferring to Utah State last season. He was a breakout star for the Aggies, averaging 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists on his way to winning Mountain West Player of the Year.

Utah State reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before being eliminated by national runner-up Purdue. Osobor struggled against National Player of the Year Zach Edey, putting up just 14 points and six rebounds on 4-of-11 shooting.

Coach Danny Sprinkle left Utah State for Washington this offseason, which made the Huskies an overwhelming favorite to land Osobor in the transfer market. This will be the third school where Osobor has played for Sprinkle.

"It's a blessing to be put in the position I am in now, and I look forward to using my platform to proudly represent my family and be a role model to my two younger sisters," Osobor said.

Osobor is one of seven transfer players heading to Washington this season as Sprinkle was active in the portal. The Huskies also have two 4-star recruits in guards Zoom Diallo and Jase Butler headed to Seattle.

---

Recruit ratings via 247Sports' composite list.

An 18-year-old man recorded on surveillance video shouting a racist slur toward the University of Utah women's basketball team during the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament will not be criminally charged, Alex Vejar reported for the Salt Lake Tribune.

Attorneys for the city of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, decided on May 3 not to prosecute the man, a student at a Coeur d'Alene high school, "based on a lack of probable cause and the potential violation of his constitutional right to free speech," Vejar reported.

According to charging decision documents, the man admitted to "shouting the N-word and a sexually explicit comment from a car as the Utes players walked nearby," per Vejar.

The documents revealed that police considered charging the man with "disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and malicious harassment," Vejar wrote.

But Coeur d'Alene Chief Deputy City Attorney Ryan Hunter wrote that the department had not found evidence that the man "acted with a specific intent to intimidate or harass any specific person," and instead said evidence indicated the man's "intent was to be funny," Vejar reported.

Utah coach Lynne Roberts first publicly described the incident, which she said caused the team to change hotels, after Utah was eliminated by Gonzaga on March 26.

She described the incident, and the ensuing hotel switch, as a "distraction."

The incident occurred outside a restaurant near the team's hotel near Coeur d'Alene, where the team was staying prior to a game against Gonzaga due to a lack of hotel rooms around Spokane, per Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press.

Utah deputy athletics director Charmelle Green told KSL.com's Josh Furlong that the women's basketball team, as well as members of the cheerleading team and band, heard racial slurs shouted from people in white trucks while they were entering and exiting a restaurant on March 21.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department said on its Facebook page on April 3 that police had found surveillance video and audio that "corroborates what was reported by members of the basketball program."

Initial review of the audio recordings revealed that a "clearly audible" racial slur was used more than once, the police department said.

Teams playing at Gonzaga weren't the only women's basketball competitors located a half hour's drive away from where the NCAA tournament was being played. The early-round locations for the women's tournament are locked in on Selection Sunday, as opposed to the men's neutral-location sites being selected in advance, Feinberg reported for the Associated Press.

The incident in Idaho could now spark a review of how host schools and hotel blocks are selected for the women's tournament. NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holzman told Feinberg the review could take place as soon as this year.

After spending his senior season with Villanova, guard TJ Bamba is heading back to the West Coast for his final year of eligibility.

Bamba, who spent the first three years of his college career at Washington State, has committed to Oregon for the 2024-25 season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Bamba started all 33 of his appearances this past season for Villanova, which finished with a record of 18-16 and was eliminated by VCU in the NIT first round. He ranked second on the Wildcats with 10.1 points per game and a three-point field goal percentage of 36.9 percent while also adding 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Before making his decision to transfer to Oregon, Bamba posted a farewell message to Villanova on social media:

Before I settle on my new home I would like to thank Coach Neptune and the entire coaching staff for the opportunity to be a Villanova Wildcat . I’d also like to thank the fan’s and supporters who rode with us through an up and down season. Forever grateful for it all !

— Tj (@TjBamba_) May 1, 2024

Bamba worked his way to becoming a productive player after receiving little interest as a recruit. 247Sports rated him as a 3-star prospect in the class of 2020, and he chose to attend Washington State over the smaller schools that extended him offers.

Bamba is joining an Oregon team that went 24-12 last season and earned an upset win as a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament over No. 6 South Carolina before falling in the second round to No. 3 Creighton. The team has a small 2024 recruiting class so far, so Bamba's commitment is a strong addition for head coach Dana Altman.

The Ducks had five players who averaged at least 10 points, so Bamba should fit right in while playing in Altman's high-octane offense next season.