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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South Regional

Tuesday’s First Four results
No. 16 Alabama St. 70, No. 16 St. Francis 68
No. 11 North Carolina 95, No. 11 San Diego State 68
First round
Thursday’s results
Lexington, Ky.
No. 1 Auburn 83, No. 16 Alabama State 63
No. 9 Creighton 89, No. 8 Louisville 75
Denver
No. 4 Texas A&M 80, No. 13 Yale 71
No. 5 Michigan 68, No. 12 UC San Diego 65
Friday’s games
Milwaukee
No. 3 Iowa St. 82, No. 14 Lipscomb 55
No. 8 Ole Miss 71, No. 11 North Carolina 64
Cleveland
No. 10 New Mexico 75, No. 7 Marquette 55
No. 2 Michigan St. 87, No. 15 Bryant 62
Second round
Saturday’s results
Lexington, Ky.
No. 5 Michigan 91, No. 4 Texas A&M 79
No. 1 Auburn 81,. No. 9 Creighton 70
Sunday’s results
Milwaukee
No. 8 Ole Miss 91, No. 3 Iowa State 78
Cleveland
No. 2 Michigan St. 71, No. 10 New Mexico 63
Regional semifinals
Atlanta
Friday’s games
No. 8 Ole Miss (24-11) vs. No. 2 Michigan St. (29–6), 7:09, CBS
No. 5 Michigan (27-9) vs. No. 1 Auburn (20–5), 9:39, CBS
Sunday’s regional final
Atlanta
Sweet 16 winners

Photo via @ArizonaMBB