Two of the primary reasons for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ turnaround in the 2021-22 campaign have been Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. Bacot drew rave reviews from Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Love hasn’t been a slouch for the Tar Heels either.
This season he saw a slight boost in minutes played per night and it has resulted in more positive results on the hardwood. Love is averaging 15.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.2 steals on 33.6 minutes per game.
In the regular-season finale, Love poured in a season-high 22 points as UNC ruined Coach K’s final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That mark of 22 points has been achieved a total of seven times during the regular season. More of that level of play can only help his draft stock, should he declare following the season.
Recently 247Sports highlighted Love as one of the players who could give their NBA draft stock a boost in the tournament.
What 247Sports Says…
After a really tough freshman season, former five-star Caleb Love made big strides during his sophomore season. Even so, Love has still taken North Carolina fans and NBA scouts on a roller coaster ride. When he’s making shots from deep and taking care of the ball, his potential as a combo guard with irrational confidence that can make plays off the bounce is intriguing. On the other hand, he can be a danger to himself and his team due to questionable shot selection and decision making. This UNC team has a chance to be dangerous over the next couple of weeks and they’ll need Love to be at his best.
Current projections have Love as a late second-rounder or undrafted. However, a strong showing against Marquette and beyond could go a long way in elevating his status, should the five-star from the 2022 cycle opt to leave Chapel Hill following the season in hopes of going pro.
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