Caleb Love was the mastermind behind the exit of Coach K's Duke during the 2022 NCAA Tournament when he was with UNC. Now, he faces the Blue Devils once again in March Madness, this time with the Arizona Wildcats.
The St. Louis, Missouri, native was on his A-game when North Carolina, Duke’s biggest rivals, sent them packing in the 2022 Final Four. The game ultimately ended Mike Krzyzewski’s, nicknamed Coach K, coaching career.
It was a high-stakes game and the only time in the UNC-Duke rivalry that the two teams have met in the men’s NCAA Tournament to date. However, it was the Blue Devils fans who were left devastated when Love dropped 28 points, making 11-of-20 from the field, including a late 3-pointer with 25 seconds on the clock to seal the 81-77 victory.
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This time, the fifth-year senior will be looking to replicate the performance and result when No. 4 seed Arizona takes on No. 1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16 on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark.
The Wildcats reached this stage by defeating No. 13 seed Akron 93-65 in the first round before a comeback 87-83 win over No. 5 seed Oregon in the second round, with Love scoring 29 points.
Meanwhile, Duke has been dominant in both of their games in the NCAA Tournament. They bagged a 93-49 win over No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's in the first round and an 89-66 victory against No. 9 seed Baylor in the Round of 32.
Caleb Love's performance this season and history against Duke
Caleb Love has averaged 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game this season while shooting 39.3% from the field.
This will be his 10th career meeting against the Blue Devils, more than any other player, and he is 5-4 in the previous nine, with two of those matchups coming as an Arizona player.
In the previous meetings, Love has averaged 15.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game and hit 20 points three times.
Duke and Arizona have already faced each other earlier this season, with the Blue Devils winning 69-55 in a matchup that Caleb Love scored just eight points and Cooper Flagg scored a game-high 24 points.
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