With 25 seconds on the clock, the ball left the hands of then-UNC guard Caleb Love and seconds later, North Carolina was up by four. Afterward, Love embraced guard RJ Davis with a smile wiped across his face — UNC had just earned a lead that advanced them to the NCAA National Championship game with an 81-77 victory over Duke.
Although Love no longer wears a North Carolina jersey, his impact on the UNC-Duke rivalry has a place of its own in UNC basketball history.
The Cameron killer
In his three years at UNC, Love played in seven games against Duke. On March 5, 2022, Love’s 22-point performance helped spoil Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, leading the Tar Heels to a 94-81 win.
Whether it was his high scoring games or the clutch NCAA final four performance, Love left Tar Heel fans with plenty of rivalry moments to cherish.
In his return to Durham in early November — this time playing for the Arizona Wildcats in a 78-73 win over Duke — Love stepped onto the court with a message for all basketball fans. On the bottom of his Nike sneakers, below the light blue swoosh, he wrote "Tar Heel 4L."
On to the next
North Carolina faced high expectations for the 2022 season with 13 players returning to the team. However, the Tar Heels' hopes at another title run quickly spiraled downwards. The team became the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the NCAA tournament since 1985.
On March 27 of last year, Love announced he was entering the transfer portal. In his post, Love reflected on his time at UNC and stated that he would begin searching for the next place he would play.
