NEWARK, NJ — Most of the build up to the East Region’s Sweet Sixteen meeting in the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball “March Madness” Tournament between — No. 4 Arizona and No. 1 Duke — surrounded Wildcats’ Caleb Love facing a Blue Devils team he once took down as a North Carolina Tar Heel.
The cold-blooded graduate guard from St. Louis, Missouri, a sophomore at the time of dropping 28 points in the 2022 Final Four to end Duke’s dominant run, along with the legendary coaching career of Mike Krzyzewski who retired days after, had similar intentions on Thursday night at the Prudential Center — knocking off head coach Jon Scheyer, superstar Cooper Flagg and the rest of the Blue Devils, an NBA-like bunch, to advance to the Elite Eight.
Though Love and Arizona came up short in their pursuit, falling by a final of 100-93, the Wildcats put up a fight until the very-end — scoring the most points Duke has allowed in a game all season including both its ACC regular season and non-conference schedule.
While never taking a step off the floor, playing all 40 minutes, Love recorded 35 points on a 52.4% shooting clip (11-21 included with 5-11 from behind the arc & also 8-9 on free throws), as a pair of his teammates, junior Jaden Bradley and sophomore Henri Veesaar, each finished in double scoring figures (15 and 13 respectively.)
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With the Sweet Sixteen loss — for Love — going down as a warrior, his collegiate career officially ended. A half decade of wars at the college level — three seasons at North Carolina and the last two at Arizona.
“I just want to thank each and every one of my teams and my coaching for sticking with me, as a person, first and foremost, because I went through a lot transferring from my other school, and they took me under their wing, and they accepted me for who I was,” said Love in the postgame press conference.
“I just want to give all my thanks to them because without them, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t be the player that I’ve grown to be.”
During each season of his career, beginning in 2020, Love played in a minimum of 29 games.
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“I’m going to miss Caleb,” stated head coach Tommy Lloyd. “Obviously he’s had an amazing career. I’m so excited for his future. I know he was tremendous today, and he’s going to wake up tomorrow and he’s going to smile because he has a lot to look forward to. So I’m really, really proud of him.”
Regarding Love’s future, the six-four 205 lb star is listed in several 2025 NBA Mock Drafts and projections, as a potential second round selection, which is the 31st-60th overall pick.
“He’s been through a lot,” noted Lloyd on Love, who most definitely raised his NBA Draft stock with Thursday’s performance. “I hope everybody takes a step back, whether they’ve been a hater or whatever or pile on, and give this guy a real chance because he’s special…
This is what I know. When he gets there, the right team is going to wrap their arms around him and they’re going to see they’ve got a guy who’s been through it. Been through it, and he’s come out the other side of it better.”
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Duke’s Cooper Flagg In His Bag
Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year’s upcoming NBA Draft, and the number-one seeded Duke Blue Devils in the East Region, were in their ‘bag’ Thursday night at The Rock vs. the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats.
The generational talent as many have deemed, including NBA scouts who were on site at the Prudential Center — torched Arizona for 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.
Image Credit: Tomasso DeRosa/Latino Sports
The eighteen-year-old freshman of Newport, Maine listed at six-nine and 205 lbs — featuring a complete and polished NBA-ready skill set, marked his second thirty ball of his career (42 and 30). His impressive showing on the scoring side came on 9-19 from the field, 3-5 from three and 9-10 from the charity stripe.
“Just playing with really good energy, trusting our game plan, trusting my teammates,” Flagg said of his Sweet Sixteen masterclass on Thursday evening. “They put me in some really good spots tonight. Coach (Scheyer), as well, put me in some really good spots.”
Elite Eight for the East Region
Matchup: No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
Date: Saturday, March 29th
Time: 8:49 PM ET/5:49 PM PT
Television: TBS
Location: Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey — Ticket Information and More
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