UNC basketball’s Caleb Love delivers for bragging rights back home
He talked a little trash to his high school coach and an NBA all-star. And after Caleb Love’s career-high 25 points helped lift North Carolina past Duke 91-87 on Saturday in Cameron Indoor Stadium, he deserves to talk a little more.
Love, a St. Louis native, played for Justin Tatum at Christian Brothers High School. Recognize the last name right? Tatum is the father of Boston Celtics forward and former Duke standout Jayson Tatum.
So even without the fans and the tangible buzz in the arena that makes the Carolina-Duke game the most anticipated one on the schedule, Love had generated his own motivation well before the ball was ever tipped.
“I told him we were gonna beat them and I talked to Jayson too and told him we were gonna beat them,” Love said. “He (Justin Tatum) was telling me like I went to the wrong school and all of that, but that’s just the relationship we have and it was funny. Now I get to talk trash to him.”
He could start by noting he’s the first UNC player to ever score 25 points and have seven assists, which was a career-high, at Duke. He also joined Tar Heel greats Charles Scott (34 points, eight assists) and Phil Ford (28 points, eight assists) as the only players to reach those figures in any game against the Blue Devils.
Love started his scoring by getting a steal off a trap when Jordan Goldwire fell to the ground leaving him an unobstructed path to the basket. Duke’s Jaemyn Brakefield tried to block his shot, but Love dunked on him and completed a three-point play.
When the Blue Devils (7-7, 5-5 ACC) rallied to tie the score at 79 late in the second half, Love didn’t flinch in his response. He took the in-bounds pass up the right side of the floor, drove to the left on Duke’s Jeremy Roach and banked in a runner that gave Carolina the lead for good with 3:45 left.
“I was in a zone just going into game I just knew I had to be a big part of my team getting this win,” Love said. “Just controlling the traffic and doing a lot of those things that point guards do. It’s been a long, long season for me, up and down, but it’s just it’s been been great. I’m making these shots.”
Armando Bacot calls Love ‘a great player’
Love represents both the promise and the potential for pitfalls for the Tar Heels (12-6, 7-4 ACC) as they play out a schedule with their toughest games still ahead. Carolina will still face the top four teams in the ACC standings -- Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Louisville -- not to mention a rematch with Duke in the regular season finale.
The freshman point guard played his most complete game offensively this season. His point total was punctuated by making four 3-pointers which was also a career-high.
“He’s a great player, he really is, and just to see him do it on the biggest stage and probably one of our biggest games this year was just huge for him, “ said forward Armando Bacot, who finished with 16 points. “Hopefully this can carry over with his confidence going into later in the season and maybe, hopefully, this is where we see Caleb Love be born.”
By that Bacot meant a Love who plays consistently like the next-level talent he possesses. Love has struggled with his shot selection and his 3-point shooting, but Bacot said when Love is playing his best, “that changes the whole dynamic of our team.”
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski would agree. Love had made just 16 3-pointers the entire season, shooting 22 percent from behind the arc, before making four. It helped prevent the Blue Devils from being able to clog the post with defenders.
“Caleb Love was outstanding,” Krzyzewski said. “Look, I thought all the kids that played in this game were good, but he stepped it up above all the others.”
Turnovers and not getting back on defense
And even within the shiny parts of his stat line against Duke there was an underbelly that gave Williams pause in his praise for Love. He had five turnovers, which marked the ninth time this season he’s had four or more in a game.
Then there were the runouts Duke got when Love didn’t get back on defense fast enough.
“He’s going to hear about five turnovers, there’s no question,” Williams said. “He’s also going to hear about not getting back on defense as our defensive balance and giving up two layups on the other.”
Love was there defensively when it mattered. Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr., got a step on Leaky Black and drove to the basket with 10 seconds left, had Love not rotated to the ball, Moore would have tied the game with a layup. Instead, Love’s help defense confused Moore and led him to jump with nowhere to deliver the ball and turn the ball over.
Love’s outing was just a glimpse of what Williams believes he can bring to Carolina’s lineup. The Heels’ hope is a sign of more to come.
“I don’t think Caleb played the best game he can play by any means,” Williams said. “He played the best game that he’s played since he got to North Carolina. But I think he can be a great player and I think he was big for us tonight.”
This story was originally published February 6, 2021 at 10:16 PM.