By R.L. Bynum
Caleb Love will forever have a lofty spot in the history of the greatest rivalry in sports for his iconic 3-pointer over Mark Williams in UNC’s win over Duke at the 2022 Final Four.
Love scored 28 points that April evening in the Superdome to end Mike Krzyzewski’s legendary coaching career with an 81–77 loss. His shot is immortalized in the Carolina Basketball Museum.
He also has a history of big games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He gets a chance for another one Friday, this time wearing a different uniform, when his No. 12 Arizona team (1–0) visits No. 2 Duke (1–0) at 7 p.m. (ESPN2).
Love poured in 22 points (and made a career-high 12 free throws) to help ruin Krzyzewski’s final home game in a 94–81 Carolina victory in 2022 and 25 points in the Tar Heels’ 91–87 win in 2021.
“I’m having a lot of fun,” Love said in a press conference before he collected 12 points, two 3-pointers, three rebounds, four assists and no turnovers in the Wildcats’ opening-game 122–59 win over Morgan State. “I love being here as soon as I stepped on campus,” Love said. “I’ve enjoyed every second, every moment. I’m just grateful to be here. I’m grateful to have teammates like this and coaches that embraced me as soon as I got down here.”
Love has averaged 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and shot 40% overall from the floor in seven games against Duke. In three games at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Love averaged 19.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 42.1% from the 3-point line.
Love is playing at the two spot with 6–3 sophomore Jaden Bradley, an Alabama transfer, playing point guard. While Love scored a career-high 34 points over a career-high 57 minutes in Alabama’s 103–101 four-overtime win over UNC in Portland last season on Nov. 27, Bradley played 29 minutes off the bench and scored 10 points.
Love said that he likes Arizona’s offensive system.
“Our offense creates a lot of movement, a lot of space to maneuver throughout the floor. So, it’s easy for me to get downhill and make the right play,” said Love, who scored 1,476 points as a Tar Heel and has the eighth-most 3-pointers in program history with 200.
Love is 4–3 against the Blue Devils and 2–1 at Cameron, but Duke swept Carolina last season as he combined for only 23 points in the two games. He scored eight points in Duke’s 87–67 win in 2022 in the Smith Center, and he’s never lost to the Blue Devils when he scores at least 18 points.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd knows the spotlight will be on Love.
“I’m not worried about it,” Lloyd said after the Morgan State game. “I think Caleb’s pretty tough and tough-minded. Obviously, I know it’s probably gonna draw a lot of attention, but he’s built for it.”
Surprisingly, Friday will mark the first time Love has faced the Blue Devils in a game when both teams are ranked. Carolina was unranked for all six of Love’s UNC-Duke games. The Tar Heels won twice when Duke was ranked (No. 4 for Krzyzewski’s last home game and No. 9 for the Final Four meeting) and lost once (the 2022 game in Chapel Hill).
Arizona has won five of nine meetings with Duke, including the last two: a 72–66 win in New York on Nov. 19, 2013, and a 93–77 victory on March 24, 2011, in Anaheim, Calif., in an NCAA West Regional semifinal. The Blue Devils won the only previous meeting Durham, a 78–76 victory on Feb. 25, 1990.
The only former Tar Heel who has played since Monday is Kerwin Walton, who had three points in eight minutes with a 3-pointer and a rebound in Texas Tech’s 73–46 home win Wednesday over Texas A&M-Commerce.
Caleb Love against Duke
| Date | W/L | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | R | A | S | TOs | F | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/4/23 CH | L | 34 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 71.4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| 2/4/23 Durham | L | 37 | 5 | 15 | 33.3 | 2 | 7 | 28.6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12 |
| 4/2/22 NO | W | 40 | 11 | 20 | 55 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 75 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 28 |
| 3/5/22 Durham | W | 38 | 4 | 17 | 23.5 | 2 | 7 | 28.6 | 12 | 12 | 100 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 22 |
| 3/5/22 CH | L | 32 | 3 | 10 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 50 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 3/6/21 CH | W | 30 | 6 | 12 | 50 | 2 | 6 | 33.3 | 4 | 4 | 100 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
| 2/6/21 Durham | W | 31 | 9 | 16 | 56.3 | 4 | 5 | 80 | 3 | 3 | 100 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 25 |
Checking in on 11 former Heels
Destiny Adams, Rutgers forward
6–3 | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
86–43 Thursday win vs. Wagner — Started; 24 minutes, 17 points, 6–12 FG, 5–6 FT, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 foul, 3 blocks, 5 steals, +35, 26.0 game score
Season statistics — 2 games, 2 starts, 15.0 points, 40.7% FG, 0–1 3FG, 73.7 FT%, 13.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.5 steals, 2.0 blocks
Next game — 5 p.m. Sunday vs. Auburn, Big Ten Network
D’Marco Dunn, Penn State guard
6–5, 195 pounds | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
79–45 Monday win vs. Delaware State — Didn’t start; 16 minutes, 3 points, 1–4 FG, 1–3 3FG, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 foul, 1 turnover, 1 steal, +6
Next game — 7:30 Friday vs. Lehigh, B1G+
Dawson Garcia, Minnesota forward
6–11, 230 pounds | Junior | UNC 2020–21 (part of 1 season)
80–60 Monday win vs. Bethune-Cookman — Started; 35 minutes, 23 points, 4–10 FG, 1–3 3FG, 14–16 FT, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 turnovers, 1 block, +23
Next game — 7:30 Friday vs. Texas-San Antonio, Peacock
Puff Johnson, Penn State wing
6–8, 205 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
79–45 Monday win vs. Delaware State — Didn’t play, getting close to being 100% as he recovers from an unspecified injury
Season opener — 7:30 Friday vs. Lehigh, B1G+
Caleb Love, Arizona guard
6–4, 205 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
122–59 Monday win vs. Morgan State — Started; 21 minutes, 12 points, 3–8 FG, 2–6 3FG, 4–4 FT, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 0 turnovers, 1 block, +32
Next game — 7 p.m. Friday at No. 2 Duke, ESPN2
Justin McKoy, Hawaii guard
6–8, 230 pounds | Graduate student | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
2022–23 statistics (UNC) — 11 games, 1 start, 59 minutes, 19 points, 6–13 FG, 2–6 3FG, 5–5 FT, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks
Season opener — 1 a.m. Tuesday vs. Hawaii Hilo
Tyler Nickel, Virginia Tech guard
6–7, 225 pounds | Sophomore | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
100–55 Monday win vs. Coppin State — Didn’t start; 20 minutes, 12 points, 4–9 FG, 2–6 3FG, 2–2 FT, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 foul, 1 block, +20
Next game — 9:30 Friday vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, ACCN
Will Shaver, UAB center
6–10, 270 pounds | Redshirt sophomore | UNC 2022–23 (1 season)
73–71 Monday loss vs. Bradley — Didn’t play
Next game — 8:30 Friday vs. Clemson in Asheville, ESPN+
Dontrez Styles, Georgetown wing
6–6, 212 pounds | Junior | UNC 2021–23 (2 seasons)
94–57 Tuesday win vs. Le Moyne — Started; 31 minutes, 15 points, 6–13 FG, 2–4 3FG, 1–2 FT, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 fouls, 4 turnovers, 1 block, +34
Next game — 8 p.m. Saturday vs. Holy Cross, FS2
Kennedy Todd-Williams, Ole Miss guard
6–0 | Senior | UNC 2020–23 (3 seasons)
80–70 Thursday loss vs. Oklahoma — Started; 29 minutes, 13 points, 4–13 FG, 2–5 3FG, 3–4 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 fouls, 1 turnover, 2 blocks, 1 steal, -2, 8.0 game score
Season statistics — 2 games, 2 starts; 12.5 points, 33.3 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 62.5 FT%, 6.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block
Next game — 6:30 Wednesday vs. Temple, SEC Network+
Kerwin Walton, Texas Tech guard
6–5, 200 pounds | Senior | UNC 2020–22 (2 seasons)
73–46 Wednesday win vs. Texas A&M-Commerce — 8 minutes, 3 points, 1–3 FG, 1–1 3FG, 1 rebound, +2
Next game — 2 p.m. Sunday vs. San Jose State, ESPN+
Photo via @ArizonaMBB
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