Arizona’s (15-6, 9-1 Big 12) 81-72 victory over Arizona State was anything but a routine win. The intense rivalry matchup took a dramatic turn in the final moments, with a heated exchange between UA guard Caleb Love and ASU BJ Freeman leading to ejections and controversy. The game ended with the Sun Devils' players leaving the court before the final buzzer, foregoing the traditional handshake line.
With less than 30 seconds remaining, tensions that had been brewing throughout the game reached a boiling point when Freeman and Love got into a heated exchange. Freeman, in the middle of the confrontation, “lost it and lost his cool because of the constant talk that was allowed to go on,” according to ASU head coach Bobby Hurley.
Hurley described the incident from his perspective, stating, “Well, I mean, it was, if you were right near our bench, it was relentless, constant chatter, you know, from a couple of the Arizona players that was not being policed properly.”
The escalation resulted in Freeman headbutting Love leading to a Flagrant 2 call and ejection. Love was also ejected for his reaction, receiving a double technical foul, is what everyone first thought what happened.
After the game, Love downplayed the situation, emphasizing that it was simply two competitors going at it. “Yeah, it was just two competitors going at it, and, you know, it escalated, and, you know, the refs made a call.”
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd acknowledged the incident but admitted he had not seen a replay before addressing it in his postgame press conference.
“I mean, obviously I didn't see what had happened. And there, obviously there's an altercation between Caleb and number ten. You know, obviously Caleb reacted, sounds like he got head butted. I mean, I haven't seen the video, so I have, I don't know, one way or another, what to say on the event.”
On Sunday afternoon, it was reported by Arizona Daily Star beat writer Bruce Pascoe that the league (Big 12) has told the paper that the initial call was a Flagrant 2 foul and that a suspended would be up to them moving forward.
Lloyd expressed his disappointment in the way things unfolded, while also reflecting on how his program should handle adversity. “And obviously it's disappointing, you know, probably on all sides. And, you know, we want to be a program that, you know, when the tough things happen, we want to respond with class and again, and and I don't know if we did or didn’t. But uh, but just a tough moment. And in an emotional game.”
Despite the chaotic ending, Lloyd praised the intensity of the rivalry and acknowledged ASU’s effort. “You know, I got a lot of respect for Bobby and Arizona State, and those guys played their asses off today. I mean, they had some great shots. And, you know, it was, it was a back and forth game, and we kind of were just able to make a run at the right time.”
As the incident unfolded, ASU head coach Bobby Hurley made a controversial decision—removing his players from the court before the game had officially ended. According to Hurley, the atmosphere had become too volatile, and he felt it was best to avoid further incidents.
“I had to make a, you know, a tough decision to, you know, obviously, in the best interest of our team, to get them into the locker room so there’d be no further incidents the rest of the game.”
Hurley also addressed the decision not to partake in the postgame handshake line, explaining that he feared further confrontation. “I just saw that it was, it was very heated, and I thought that there was a possibility that something else could have happened, and I was going to avoid that.”
Despite the incident, Love made it clear that he thrives in these high-intensity games. He described the atmosphere and the way he and his teammates embraced the moment.
“It was a great atmosphere, great game. And, you know, we came out on top. Embracing it with my teammates, I think that's the biggest thing, you know. You know, you don't get too many games like this. And obviously it was a rival game. And, you know, we wanted to come out here and play hard, and, you know, that's what we did.”
Love further elaborated on how the emotions were present from the opening tip. “No, you can sense it at the start of the game, obviously, there was a lot of chirping and things like that. Fans were into it. And you know, that's what you come to Arizona for. You know, you just, you want to embrace these games. You want to, you know, enjoy them, and then, you know, you want to, obviously, compete at a high level.”
While emotions ran high, Arizona confirmed that, as of now, Love will not face a suspension for the Wildcats’ upcoming matchup against BYU. UA's focus will shift to that game, which will be played in Provo and televised on ESPN.
Meanwhile, ASU will have to regroup and move forward after a frustrating loss. Whether any further disciplinary action will be taken remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: this heated rivalry just got even more intense.
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