By R.L. Bynum

LOS ANGELES — Everything is going well for Caleb Love at Arizona, where he has the No. 9-ranked Wildcats in the Sweet 16 and riding high.

That came after some tough times last season for Carolina when the Tar Heels didn’t make the NCAA tournament and he dealt with a torrent of criticism. For a certain percentage of the UNC fan base, it didn’t matter that Love hit an iconic shot to beat Duke in the Final Four the season before that.

“Fans get into a certain thing if a player isn’t playing good, up to their standard, they have something to say,” Love said on Wednesday ahead of the West Regional semifinal game Thursday at 7:09 p.m. (CBS) for Arizona (27–8) at Crypto.com Arena against Clemson (23–11).

“I play basketball not only for myself, but for my family, and I want to take it somewhere,” Love said. “You’ve got to flush that out and silence the criticism or the hatred that anybody might have of you, and you focus on your goals and your task at hand. “

It wasn’t always easy for Love to deal with the criticism during UNC’s 20–13 season, particularly after a tough game. However, dealing with the ups and downs on the court wasn’t as difficult.

“I just think the off-the-court stuff and what I had to go through,” Love said, explaining what was toughest about last season. “I came to college to play basketball and there was a lot of extra stuff that I think that I went through that I didn’t deserve. I think everything happens for a reason. If I didn’t go through that, I probably wouldn’t be who I am right now.”

Despite all that, Carolina still is a special place for him, and he had “Tar Heel FL” (Tar Heel for life) scrawled on his shoes when he led Arizona to a 78–72 win at Duke on Nov. 10 and says he misses eating at the the Purple Bowl restaurant on Franklin Street. 

When asked if he could have returned to Carolina for his senior season, he said he didn’t really have a comment on that.

“I came here with a clean sheet of paper,” said Love, who ended up in Arizona after transfer credit issues prevented him from heading to Michigan. “Coach [Tommy] Lloyd and my teammates accepted me as who I am and didn’t have any preconceived notions about me. I’m grateful for them. They kind of reinvented me as a player.”

Love has gone from averaging 16.7 points per game and shooting 29.9% from 3-point range during his junior season at UNC to averaging a team-high 18.1 points and shooting 34.3% from outside the arc this season.

Going to Arizona was an excellent option because it reunited him with Steve Robinson, who left the UNC staff for Arizona when Coach Hubert Davis became Carolina’s head coach.

Robinson was the main coach on the UNC staff who recruited Love. They’ve known each other since Love was a junior in high school.

“Me and Coach Rob always had a great relationship ever since he recruited me out of high school and so just reuniting with him has been great,” Love said. “We have a great relationship. We talk all the time. He’s constantly pushing me each and every day to be better. It’s always something that I can work on. So I’m grateful to have him as a coach.”

Love and RJ Davis have been productive this season, and they’ve followed each other from afar.

“He’s had a great year,” Love said. “I’m proud of just knowing we came in together in a freshman class with Coach [Roy] Williams. I’m very proud of him. I know he’s proud of me. And it’s been great to see what he has done this year. He’s having a historic year.

They have had a way of topping each other. Five days after Davis scored 36 points against Wake Forest on Jan. 22, Love scored 38 points at Oregon. One day after Davis was named ACC Player of the Year, Love was named Pac-12 Player of the Year.

“We talk here and there, congratulated each other on player of year,” Love said. “I think everything happens for a reason. And it just goes show you how hard he works. I’ve been in the gym with him, and he works his butt off. I’m happy for him.”

As far as a potential showdown with his former teammates on Saturday in the West Regional final should Arizona win and UNC beats Alabama, Love said he’s focused on Clemson and preferred not to talk about the possibility.

That would be a marquee matchup if it came about.

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West Regional

March 19 First Four result
No. 16 Wagner 71, No. 16 Howard 68
First-round results
Thursday, March 21
No. 9 Michigan State 69, No. 8 Mississippi State 51
No. 1 North Carolina 90, Wagner 62
No. 2 Arizona 85, No. 15 Long Beach State 65
No. 7 Dayton 63, No. 10 Nevada 60
Friday, March 22
No. 4 Alabama 109, No. 13 College of Charleston 96
No. 12 Grand Canyon 75, No. 5 St. Mary’s 66
No. 3 Baylor 92, No. 14 Colgate 67
No. 6 Clemson 77, No. 11 New Mexico 56
Last Saturday’s second-round results
Arizona 78, Dayton 68
North Carolina 85, Michigan State 69
Sunday’s second-round results
Clemson 72, Baylor 64
Alabama 72, Grand Canyon 61
Thursday’s regional semifinals
Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Clemson 77, Arizona 72
Alabama 98, North Carolina 87
Saturday’s regional final
Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Alabama 89, Clemson 82

Photo via @ArizonaMBB