DURHAM, N.C. – Caleb Love waved goodbye to the Cameron Crazies as he walked off of Coach K Court.
In what will likely be his final game against Duke basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Love helped the 11th-ranked Wildcats earn a 78-73 victory against the third-ranked Blue Devils on Friday night.
“It feels great. Coming in, I knew I had my guys and my guys had my back,” Love said from just outside of the visiting locker room at Cameron.
“Just coming in, I knew I was confident, I knew we was confident. Coming into this game, we were prepared. Hats off to them, (Duke) had a great game plan. We stuck to ours and we got the win.”
The former Tar Heel knocked down four free throws in the final 17.4 seconds to earn his fifth win in eight tries against Duke. In his first seven games against the Blue Devils, Love averaged 17.7 points.
“I’m not surprised he made ‘em. I told him he deserved that moment,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said.
“I don’t know if – I don’t have my glasses – so I can’t read the stats, so I don’t know if he played good or bad. It felt like he was playing a little quick on some stuff. I can imagine it’s a pretty emotional moment. He’s a competitive guy. But for him to calmly step up and go 4-for-4 from the line down the stretch, it says a lot about him as a competitor.”
Love didn’t fare as well Friday as he has in the past, finishing with 11 points, three assists and six turnovers in 33 minutes. But his clutch free throws and a wacky play to end the first half were the highlights that helped him deliver another dagger to Duke fans.
“Obviously, it was on my mind for a little minute,” Love said of the matchup. “As soon as I seen they were on the schedule, my eyes got bigger. We came in and we handled business, and that’s all that matters.”
Just before the end of the first half, Love banked in a 3-pointer from the right wing and had some choice words for anyone in his area as Arizona carried a 41-33 lead into halftime.
Arizona vs. Duke highlights
What Caleb Love said about UNC basketball and his time with the Tar Heels
Caleb Love had “Tar Heel 4L” written in black on the heel of his right shoe as a nod to his time with the Tar Heels.
“That’s what I am: I’m a Tar Heel for life,” Love said. “Regardless of what differences or what happened in the past, I still got love for Tar Heel nation. I love them.”
Love scored 1,476 points – averaging 14.6 points per game – in 101 games for the Tar Heels, and his 200 3-pointers rank eighth in UNC history. Love’s 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds against Duke at the 2022 Final Four is commemorated in UNC’s basketball museum.
But it’s clear he’s happy with where he is now. After Friday night’s win, why wouldn’t he be?
“It felt different a little bit, just because I was with a different team,” Love said. “I’m glad that I’m here and we did what we were supposed to do tonight.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X.