College Basketball

Caleb Love gets a fresh start, but no guarantees of stardom, at Arizona

Updated May. 30, 2023 8:01 p.m. ET

College Basketball Broadcaster and Reporter

Caleb Love is heading west. In what has been one of college basketball's biggest offseason transfer storylines, the former North Carolina Tar Heel — and briefly, a commit to Michigan — announced Tuesday afternoon that he will join Arizona for his senior season.

This news comes two weeks after Love decommitted from the Wolverines after the University of Michigan determined that he did not have a sufficient number of credits to transfer from Chapel Hill to Ann Arbor.

[Former North Carolina guard Caleb Love heads to Arizona]

Instead, the 6-foot-4 guard is off to play for Arizona and Tommy Lloyd, who has had a positive offseason and should have a top 15-20 team next season — this after going 61-11 in his first two years at the helm.

The question for Love? Can he find a way to settle down, fit in well and be an efficient player? This past season at North Carolina featured disappointment and some drama, as Love averaged 16.7 points per game but shot poorly — just over 37% from the floor and 29% from beyond the arc. His shot selection and volume played a role in North Carolina's struggles, as the Tar Heels were the most disappointing team in America.

There was more to UNC's struggles than just Love, but he needed a change in school despite the fact he started in 96 games for the Tar Heels and helped lead them to the 2022 national championship game as a No. 8 seed.

Love will join a deep roster, as he's the third impact transfer to be added to the fold in Tucson, joining former Alabama guard Jaden Bradley (6.4 PPG, 3.1 APG) and San Diego State forward Keshad Johnson (7.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG).

With former 5-star recruit Kylan Boswell entering his sophomore season and looking to take a significant leap with a bigger role, veteran standout guard Pelle Larsson (9.9 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.1 APG) returning for his senior season, and 4-star freshman KJ Lewis entering the program, Lloyd has an abundance of options. Someone will have to come in off the bench. That may be a role carved out for Bradley, who was the reserve guard for Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide as this past season went on.

As for Love, he's shown what's possible when he's at his best. With his quickness and ability to get downhill, when the perimeter shot is falling, there's a reason why he was named to the Preseason All-ACC First Team last season. Can he get on the same page with the other guards he's playing with and put his best together? That's part of the appeal, and maybe a change of scenery will be the best thing that could happen to him.

One added spicy storyline: Love's not done heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium. His new team plays at Duke on Nov. 10 for the first matchup as part of a two-year home-and-home agreement.

This is part of a stacked Arizona non-conference schedule that also features a neutral-site, Thanksgiving Day game against Michigan State on FOX, a game in Phoenix against Alabama, and a home game against Wisconsin to start a home-and-home with the Badgers.

John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.

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