Caleb Love fights hard for Arizona, scoring 35 points in Sweet 16 defeat to Duke

Caleb Love once ended Duke’s run at the Final Four and also ended Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career.

Three years later, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, Cooper Flagg and Duke knocked out Love and Arizona, ending both his college career and their season.

Love celebrated his 3-pointers with chest thumps — and he made a few. He powered through defenders and helped Arizona stay close to Flagg and top-seeded Duke.

But despite his 35 points in 40 minutes, it wasn’t enough to keep his career and Arizona’s season alive.

Flagg led Duke with 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three blocks in their 100-93 victory, pushing Duke one win away from the Final Four and ending Arizona’s run.

However, Love left with his teammates expressing their gratitude for him and his impact on the team after he transferred from North Carolina. There, Love had ended Coach K’s career, and at Arizona, he helped them reach a No. 4 seed in March Madness.

Teammates like Jaden Bradley, Henri Veesaar, and coach Tommy Lloyd shared heartfelt words, praising Love’s leadership and presence on the team. Veesaar, unprompted, spoke up: “Anybody ever thinks he’s not a good teammate, it’s not true. He’s the best teammate we had. He’s one of the better persons I’ve ever met. He’s pushed me so much over the last two years, I’m so grateful for him.”

Veesaar continued, sharing how Love had helped him improve. “In the tournament, I was struggling, he talked to me. He came up to me after I missed the free throw because we had been — he made me practice free throws after that game. After that he just came up to me, hey, we worked way too hard, you got this. After that I didn’t miss a free throw, I made seven in a row.”

Bradley also stood up for Love, saying, “You don’t see the workouts and the stuff we do off the court. Y’all don’t see that. He really took all of us under his wing. He’s a leader. He’s been through so much and taught us all so much. So definitely going to learn a lot, miss playing with him. He’s just a great guy.”

Love also got a lot of help from Bradley, who scored 15 points. Love himself finished with 35 points, just one shy of his career high, including 15 straight points during a fierce second-half rally that brought Arizona within five points of Duke with 1:56 left.

Despite the loss, Love expressed how grateful he was to play with Arizona. “I went through a lot transferring from my other school, and they took me under their wing, and they accepted me for who I was,” Love said. “I just want to give all my thanks to them because without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be the player that I’ve grown to be.”

The player who scored 27 points in the second half of North Carolina’s Sweet 16 win on their way to the 2022 Final Four was now seen as someone who shot too much, struggled to perform, and hurt the team. So, he entered the transfer portal.

His move to Michigan was blocked by issues with the admissions office. Coach Lloyd, while on a family trip in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, received a call from Love, who expressed interest in visiting Arizona’s campus.

Love narrowed his choices down to three schools before deciding on Arizona, choosing them over Gonzaga and Texas.

Lloyd believed in Love and worked hard to bring him into the Wildcats fold. He was one of the last to hug Love as Arizona’s season ended in March.

“I hope everybody takes a step back, whether they’ve been a hater or whatever or pile on, and give this guy a real chance because he’s special,” Lloyd said. “This is what I know. When he gets there, the right team is going to wrap their arms around him and they’re going to see they’ve got a guy who’s been through it. Been through it, and he’s come out the other side of it better.”