The March Madness rivalry reignites as Caleb Love, now with Arizona, faces Duke once more

If there’s one player Duke or its fans would rather avoid when the stakes are this high, it’s Caleb Love.

Love was once a player for Duke’s biggest rival, North Carolina. Now he plays for Duke’s next opponent, Arizona.

They will meet on Thursday in the Sweet 16, with Love, a fifth-year senior averaging 16.8 points per game for the fourth-seeded Wildcats, trying to ruin another season for the top-seeded Blue Devils, who have seen this story before.

Love was the one who scored 22 points in 2022 to give Coach Mike Krzyzewski a loss in his last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He’s the same player who, four weeks later, hit a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left, followed by a couple of free throws to finish off Duke at the Final Four — officially ending Coach K’s career.

“I just think that’s me not being afraid of the moment and me trying to impose my will,” Love said. “Kind of like my St. Louis swagger to the game.”

In nine career games against Duke, he has a 5-4 record. His scoring average in the wins: 20.8. In the losses: 9.8. If Duke (33-3) wins Thursday, it will likely be because the Blue Devils managed to stop Arizona’s best player.

“The thing he does is, he can shoot shots at any time and he can hit shots at any time,” said Jon Scheyer, who succeeded Krzyzewski as Duke’s coach. “He’s an improved passer, someone who’s not afraid. A really good player, and a challenge for our guys.”

Love grew up in St. Louis, committed to North Carolina, and played his first three seasons there

The year after his big wins over Duke, the Tar Heels began the season as the No. 1 team in the poll but became the first preseason No. 1 to miss March Madness.

The player who scored 27 points in the second half of the Sweet 16 win on the way to the 2022 Final Four was suddenly seen as someone who shot too much, couldn’t perform when needed, and was slowing down the Tar Heels.

He decided to enter the transfer portal. A move to Michigan was blocked by issues with the admissions department. Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd was on a family trip in Puerto Vallarta when Love called and said he wanted to visit the campus.

“My wife flew down and right when she landed, I said ‘I’m going back to Tucson for another day,’” Lloyd said. “Went back, had a great visit, and he committed. Listen, it’s been an awesome experience.”

Since the bracket was released, the chance of this reunion has been on everyone’s mind. When Love was asked about it on TV after Arizona’s win over Oregon last Sunday, he seemed ready to answer, but he paused, gave a small grin, and took the diplomatic route: “We’ll be ready for them when it’s time.”

Asked about that moment on Wednesday, he explained: “I didn’t want to give them no fuel or bulletin board material. I just wanted to focus on what this group got to do and not give them anything that they can feed off of.”

Not a bad approach.

Starting with freshman Cooper Flagg, whose ankle injury seems like it’s no longer a major concern, the Blue Devils have up to six players who could be chosen in the NBA draft.

With so much talent, they weren’t challenged during the first week of the tournament, beating Mount Saint Mary’s by 44 points and Baylor by 23. Out of their 33 wins this season, 28 — including one in November against these Wildcats — have been by double digits. Of those, 11 have been by 30 or more points.

So, it’s no surprise that the Wildcats are entering this game as a 9 1/2-point underdog — the largest spread in a Sweet 16 filled with top programs.

That doesn’t change how Love is thinking as he heads into his 10th matchup against the Blue Devils.

“We’re not shying away from anything,” he said.

Knowing how he’s troubled them before, why would he?

In Thursday’s opening East Regional game, Alabama faces BYU in a matchup of two of the best offenses in the country. Because of that, both teams are focusing on defense.

The second-seeded Crimson Tide will take on the sixth-seeded Cougars in a game expected to be fast-paced, with plenty of 3-point shots and transition baskets.

Alabama coach Nate Oats said his scouting report sees BYU, which is shifting to a more open, NBA-style of play, as having the best offense in college basketball since February 12.

The Crimson Tide doesn’t need to make such claims — they lead the nation in scoring with 90.8 points per game.

“It should be a very fun game, but it’s going to come down to getting stops,” said Mark Sears, who leads the Tide in points (18.6) and assists (5.0).

Both teams can score from anywhere. They favor 3-pointers — both are in the country’s top 25 for attempts — or high-percentage layups. They are both ranked in the top 10 in KenPom’s offensive efficiency ratings.

“I’m excited to hopefully be able to play some good defense, not have it be 150-149, or something like that,” BYU’s Trevin Knell said.