KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Big 12 Conference announced its preseason awards on Thursday and Arizona senior guard Caleb Love was named to the First Team. As a team, Arizona was picked to finish fifth in the conference with one first place vote. Â
Â
Love was a Second Team All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year in his first season in Tucson last year. He was one of five finalists for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award and was named to the Wooden Award All-American team after averaging 18.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He shot a career-best 41% from the floor and had the best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) of his career while averaging the most points per game of his career.Â
Â
To speak to the depth of the Big 12 Conference this season, in the most recent release of ESPN's Preseason Rankings on Oct. 7, Arizona checked in at No. 9 in the country and four other Big 12 teams ahead of them. Â
Â
Arizona will play two exhibition games at home on Oct. 21 and Oct. 28 before opening the season Nov. 4 at home against Canisius. Season tickets are on sale now and single-game tickets and mini-plans go on sale Saturday, Oct. 12 at 10:00 a.m. MST on ArizonaWildcats.com.Â
Â
Preseason Big 12 PollÂ
Â
Preseason All-Big 12 First TeamÂ
Caleb Love, ArizonaÂ
LJ Cryer, HoustonÂ
J'Wan Roberts, HoustonÂ
Tamin Lipsey, Iowa StateÂ
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas*Â
Â
Preseason All-Big 12 Second TeamÂ
Norchad Omier, BaylorÂ
Jeremy Roach, BaylorÂ
Keshon Gilbert, Iowa StateÂ
Dajuan Harris, KansasÂ
Coleman Hawkins, K-StateÂ
Â
 *- unanimousÂ
Â
Preseason Player of the Year:Â Hunter Dickinson, KansasÂ
Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year:Â Jeremy Roach, BaylorÂ
Preseason Co-Newcomer of the Year:Â Coleman Hawkins, K-StateÂ
Freshman of the Year:Â VJ Edgecombe, BaylorÂ
Â
#BearDown Â