Arizona was unable to beat Duke on Thursday night despite a 35-point performance from Caleb Love. The fifth-year senior closed out his final season of college basketball in the Sweet 16.
It has been a weird journey for the former five-star recruit, who will hope to be drafted into the NBA with a late-round pick at the end of June.
Although Love’s on-court talent cannot be denied, his attitude often came into question. That is not to say that he acted out and/or caused a raucous. The concern was more with his effort and body language.
Love, who began his college basketball career at North Carolina, hit a crucial three-pointer in the Final Four as a sophomore to beat Duke. His dagger sent the Tar Heels to the national championship.
Unfortunately, Love air-balled a closely-guarded step-back trip in the final and UNC lost. He finished the game with 13 points on 5-of-24 shooting.
There are few better shooters in the country when Caleb Love is on. But you never know when he is going to be on. That was a theme over the last five years. Inconsistent is a good word to describe his play.
Love hit the transfer portal prior to his junior season and committed to Michigan. Issues with his transfer credits forced him back into the portal. Arizona scooped him up.
The Wildcats got the full Caleb Love experience in each of the last two seasons. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a fifth-year senior but there were a few games where he shot 25% or less from the field. His three-point shooting was even more erratic.
The attitude is another thing.
Love went 3-for-13 from the field and 1-for-9 from beyond the arc against Duke back in November. His teammates completely snubbed him after he displayed poor body language. They didn’t even acknowledge his existence.
Arizona got another shot at the Blue Devils on Thursday and lost again. Love went 11-for-21 from the field and 5-for-11 from deep. It was one of the best games of his career.
It still wasn’t enough.
Immediately after the game, forward Henri Veesaar rejected a popular narrative about his teammate. Nobody in the locker room dislikes Love. They love him. He’s “the best person.”
Here's the full quote from an emotional Henri Veesaar on what Caleb Love has meant to Arizona:
— AZ Band Cat Sports (@AZBandCatSports) March 28, 2025
"I just want to set the record straight. For any scouts or anybody who thinks he's not a good teammate, he's the best person. Everybody loves him on the team."
(🎥 via @AZATHLETICS) pic.twitter.com/sEWW2PT3uA
Well, that settles that. Caleb Love’s character is perhaps the biggest red flag for professional organizations but for Veesaar to go out of his way to praise him should go a long way. It speaks to how different public perception is from reality inside the locker room. If an NBA team thinks Love could be a nice depth piece off of the bench, they will be thrilled to hear that his teammates love him.