Entering the 2022-23 NCAA Basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels were picked as the team to beat. They were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, thanks to bringing back four starters from the team that made a run to the national title game in the season prior. Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, and Leaky Black were all back, joined by Northwestern transfer, Pete Nance.
Unfortunately, things didn’t work out for the Tar Heels. They were unranked after one month, and finished 20-13 overall. They were the first team in the modern era to go from No. 1 to missing out on the NCAA Tournament altogether. Changes were needed to be made, with the latest being Love opting to enter the transfer portal.
https://twitter.com/caleb2love/status/1640444486957277202
This past season, Love led the team with 16.7 ppg on the season, but shot just 38% from the field and 30% from the three-point line at 7.4 attempts. The inefficency and rough shot selection is what has been an issue to this point for the Tar Heels.
Still, few active players in NCAA Basketball can score in the volume that Caleb does. This past season, the 6’4 shooting guard had a 34-point effort against Alabama in overtime (did have 36 attempts), while going for 28 points in the Final Four victory against the Duke Blue Devils.
While he may not be the best individual player in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal, Love certainly is the most high-profile. So which teams should be in the mix for his services? Here’s a list I have compiled of programs that would make some sense.