Latest news with #CalebLove
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arizona guard Caleb Love leaning on defense, experience in predraft workouts
Arizona guard Caleb Love leaning on defense, experience in predraft workouts Caleb Love, this past season, became one of 14 players in history to record at least 1,000 points at two different Division I programs. Caleb Love had a productive five-year run in college, and the former Arizona guard wants to tap into that experience in workouts and interviews ahead of the 2025 NBA draft. Love was an All-Big 12 first-team selection this past season, averaging 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 34% shooting from 3-point range in 37 games. He registered 14 20-point games, tied for the fourth-most in the conference. The 23-year-old completed his second predraft workout on Tuesday with the Portland Trail Blazers. He is attempting to showcase his defense and versatility on that end of the court. "That is something that a lot of scouts and a lot of my coaches have been saying I need to be great at to get on the floor," Love said. "That's what I'm mainly trying to show, but I'm pretty versatile: Whatever role you put me in, I feel like I can succeed." Love spent the first three years of his career at North Carolina before transferring to Arizona, beginning with the 2023-24 season. He became one of 14 players in history this season to record at least 1,000 points at two different Division I programs. The 6-foot-4 standout led the Wildcats to the conference championship game and a spot in the Sweet 16, averaging 21.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 46.5% shooting from 3-point range in six postseason games. He was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team. Love enters the draft as one of the most experienced players in the class and is hopeful that experience can help him on and off the court. He is considered a potential second-round pick. "Me being at two different schools in three different conferences, I feel like the experience definitely helps," Love said. "I've grown so much on the court and off the court. I'm so much more mature than I was as an 18-year-old coming into college. I think that is definitely going to be to my advantage."
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NCAA Sends Parting Message To Caleb Love After Final Arizona Game
After defeating No. 13 seed Akron by nearly 30 points, Caleb Love and No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats were able to squeak by No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks in the round of 32. However, the Sweet 16 proved to be too much for Love and the Wildcats, falling to Cooper Flagg and No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils 100-93 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Advertisement With the loss, Love now wraps up his five-year college career. He became a fan favorite during his three years with the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2020-2023, helping them defeat Duke in the 2022 Final Four. However, Love elected to transfer to Arizona in 2023 for his final two years of eligibility, losing in the Sweet 16 both times. After the loss to Duke, NCAA March Madness sent a parting message to Love, thanking him for the memories over the last five seasons. "A truly special career," NCAA March Madness wrote on X. "Thank you, Caleb Love." In his final collegiate game, Love exited with style, tallying a game-high 35 points on 11-of-21 shooting, four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Love faced the Blue Devils 10 times during his college career, ending with a 5-5 record and 0-2 this season. He was 4-3 against Duke while playing with UNC. Advertisement Love also finishes his career with 2,762 total points, good for 25th on the NCAA's all-time scoring list. He was able to jump one spot against Duke, passing former Marquette star Markus Howard (2,761). He also ended with 37 more career points than his former UNC teammate, RJ Davis (2,725). Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb LoveVincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Love will now likely attempt to take his talents to the professionals, whether that be the NBA or another league. Meanwhile, Duke moves on to the Elite Eight, where they will battle No. 2 seed Alabama for a spot in the Final Four. Related: Cooper Flagg Makes NCAA Tournament History in Sweet 16 Game
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2026 NCAA men's basketball championship odds: 5 way-too-early title predictions
2026 NCAA men's basketball championship odds: 5 way-too-early title predictions Freshmen don't win championships. That was my stance before the 2025 NCAA tournament, and my position has only hardened since watching Duke flame out in the Final Four and the national championship be played between two veteran-laden teams. With that in mind, my favorite way-too-early picks to win the 2026 title aren't the teams winning on the recruiting trail and grabbing the top one-and-done prospects -- though that doesn't hurt. Rather, I like the teams that project to have a decent amount of returning players from rosters that won this year. Of course, this is almost impossible to gauge right now with players hopping in and out of the transfer portal and others trying to get a read on their NBA draft stock, but I gave it a good effort to come up with five teams I think have a good shot to win the 2026 national championship. First, let's take a look at odds for the early favorites at FanDuel. Now, for my favorite way-too-early picks: Arizona gave Duke its toughest game of the tournament prior to the Final Four, and though the Wildcats are losing leading scorer Caleb Love, three starters could be back for a team with an incoming class of players that includes two top-40 prospects -- one being five-star Koa Peat -- and LeBron James' youngest son, Bryce. 4. Michigan State (+3500) The Spartans are tied for the longest odds of any team on my list, but with Tom Izzo as coach, they might also have the highest floor; because if nothing else, we know they'll make the tournament. To help with that, they'll likely return a handful of players from this year's Elite Eight team, including Jaxon Kohler, who scored a team-high 17 points in their loss to Auburn. 3. Purdue (+1400) Only one player from Purdue's Sweet 16 roster this year was a senior, so there's a world where nearly the entire team is back in 2025-26. That includes four starters and Cousy award winner Braden Smith. How does BYU top its deepest tournament run in more than a decade? Bringing in the top recruit from the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, certainly helps. But the 6-9 forward is going to need some help, and he could have it with the potential return of leading scorer Richie Saunders and fellow starters Keba Keita and Mawot Mag, among others. 1. Houston (+1200) If Houston can keep a few or all of Emanuel Sharp, Milos Uzan, Joseph Tugler and Terrance Arceneaux to carry the tradition of toughness and deep tournament runs Kelvin Sampson has built, the Cougars will continue to be a national title contender. Especially with one of the best incoming recruiting classes, which already includes two five-star prospects and a third top-20 player.
New York Times
29-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Men's March Madness Elite Eight power rankings: Top seeds tested but still standing tall
Editor's note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men's & women's NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments. With so much chalk in the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend, we had high hopes for great games in the Sweet 16. The round delivered for the most part; even Alabama's blowout of BYU produced a record-setting offensive display. Advertisement Thursday's nightcaps were fantastic, featuring an all-around virtuoso performance from Duke's Cooper Flagg and a furious comeback by Texas Tech that resulted in the tournament's first overtime. The Blue Devils needed every bit of their star freshman's power, as Arizona's Caleb Love turned in one last scoring explosion in his final college game. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, trailed by as many as 16 and were down 13 with just over four minutes left, but they cobbled together just enough key buckets and defensive stops to topple John Calipari's Razorbacks after five extra minutes. Friday offered more drama in Atlanta, with Michigan State battling back against Ole Miss to squeak by late. Coen Carr had some momentum-changing plays, and freshman Jase Richardson (20 points on 8-of-12 shooting) asserted himself when the Spartans needed it most. Auburn had to rally against Michigan (and rally it did), and then Houston capped off an outstanding night of hoops with a masterful out-of-bounds play to beat Purdue just before the final buzzer. All of that action sets up a star-studded Elite Eight featuring all four No. 1 seeds, three No. 2 seeds and the de facto Cinderella, No. 3 seed Texas Tech. An elite weekend awaits! Cooper Flagg is already the best player in college basketball, and he somehow continues to improve. Thursday night was his Mona Lisa (so far), a completely unprecedented performance in the college game. That, plus some dead-eye shooting from Kon Knueppel, Sion James and Duke's bench, was enough to survive a game effort from Caleb Love and the Wildcats. The stage is now set for a showdown with Mark Sears and Alabama, participants in last year's Final Four. The No. 1 priority for Duke is obvious: Find a way to limit Alabama's absurd perimeter weaponry, which buried an NCAA Tournament record 25 3s against BYU. Florida took some serious punches from both Maryland and the injury bug on Thursday night, but the Gators came out the other side looking as impressive as ever. Head coach Todd Golden called his team's second-half performance 'elite' in the postgame news conference, and it is hard to disagree with him. Despite an ankle injury that limited starting big man Alex Condon, Golden's Gators outscored the Terps 47-33 in the second 20 minutes, forcing Maryland into a 'sub out the starters' surrender with over two minutes left in the game. Florida now faces a tough-as-nails Texas Tech team for a trip to the Final Four. The Cougars led for nearly the entire second half against Purdue on Friday night. But a game effort from the Boilermakers — led by a masterful point guard performance from Braden Smith (15 assists) — tied the game up with just over 30 seconds left. A missed Milos Uzan jumper and a tip out of bounds set the stage for a massive inbound with 2.8 seconds left. Houston executed a dandy, getting the inbounder, Uzan, a layup just before time ran out. Smith's final heave sailed wide right, and the Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight. Sunday afternoon's clash with Tennessee is sure to be a brutal battle. For the second straight round, Auburn looked incredibly mortal for a large portion of the game. And just like last Saturday against Creighton, the Tigers found the gas pedal in the second half and won by double-digits. Johni Broome carried the Tigers for the first 30 or so minutes against Michigan, and reinforcements finally arrived in the form of Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones. The two guards fueled a massive scoring run, erasing a 48-39 deficit in an instant while the Tigers' defense clamped down on the other end. Auburn will get the South Region's No. 2 seed Michigan State on Sunday with a chance to clinch a Final Four trip in front of a friendly Atlanta crowd. The Crimson Tide's shooting explosion on Thursday night sent a message: 2024's last remaining Final Four participant wants to play in another one. Despite an impressive offensive performance from BYU, Alabama led comfortably for the entire second half thanks to a NCAA Tournament-record 25 made 3s. That mark completely obliterated the previous high of 21 by Loyola Marymount in 1991. All-American Mark Sears led the way with 34 points (including 10 3s) and eight assists, setting the tone early with a scorching start from beyond the arc. Alabama showed its ceiling, and it will need to access that level again to take down the juggernaut that is No. 1 seed Duke. A win is a win, especially on this stage. Things looked ugly for Texas Tech as it trailed Arkansas for nearly the entire game, but the Red Raiders never quit, fighting through a frigid shooting night to hang around with the hot-shooting Razorbacks. Like the rest of his team, Darrion Williams struggled for most of the night, but he hit multiple huge buckets — including the game-tying triple to end regulation and the go-ahead bucket late in overtime — to lead Grant McCasland's squad to the Elite Eight. Long-range threat Chance McMillian's status is key on Saturday: His oblique injury held him out again on Thursday, but he is getting closer and closer to a return. Texas Tech will need him against Florida. Tennessee manhandled Kentucky for 40 minutes, exacting revenge against a team that swept the Vols during the regular season. Tennessee owned the paint, and most importantly, it held the Wildcats' potent offense to a season-low 15 3-point attempts. By turning the game into a physical brawl, Tennessee brought high-scoring Kentucky into a style in which it was far more comfortable. Zakai Zeigler continued his stellar postseason, racking up 18 points and 10 assists while controlling the pace of the game. Tennessee now faces Houston, which needed every last second to survive a game effort from Purdue. It looked dire for Michigan State for most of the first half on Friday. Ole Miss outplayed the Spartans, winning the rebounding battle — which was supposed to be Michigan State's biggest advantage. MSU ended up getting crushed in the shot volume battle (Ole Miss attempted 64 field goals compared to Michigan State's 48), but the Spartans' terrific free-throw shooting and interior scoring saved the day. Jase Richardson's efficient 20 points led the way, but Coen Carr's immense day (15 points, including a rim-rattling transition dunk late in the game) helped spark the comeback. Tom Izzo's team now awaits Auburn after the No. 1 seed Tigers stormed back against Michigan in the nightcap. The Bracket Central series is sponsored by E*Trade from Morgan Stanley. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; Photos: Patrick Smith, C. Morgan Engel, Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
March Madness: Alabama vs. Duke odds, picks and predictions
The No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (28-8) and the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (34-3) meet Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, for an NCAA Tournament East Region Elite 8 game. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:49 p.m. ET (TBS/truTV). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Alabama vs. Duke odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions. The No. 1 seed Blue Devils, also ranked No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, are back in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2022. As a No. 2 seed, Duke topped Arkansas 78-69 to advance to the Final 4 that year. The Blue Devils have dropped 2 of their past 3 games in the Elite 8, however. As a No. 1 seed, Duke is 5-4 straight up (SU) all-time against the No. 2 seed, including a win over Arizona in the 2001 National Championship game. Duke advanced to the Elite 8 with a 100-93 win over Arizona in the Sweet 16 Thursday, holding off a furious second-half rally and a 35-point effort from Wildcats G Caleb Love. ACC Player and Rookie of the Year F Cooper Flagg led the Blue Devils with 30 points, 6 rebounds, and a career-high 7 assists. G Kon Knueppel added 20 points, while G Sion James chipped in 16, including 3 triples. Duke's non-cover against Arizona was its first in 3 NCAA Tournament games, after covering as a double-digit favorite in its first 2 matchups in Raleigh. The Over has hit in all 3 tournament games and is 10-3 over the past 13 contests. Alabama stayed true to form in the Sweet 16, lighting up the scoreboard while giving up plenty of points in a 113-88 win over BYU as a 4.5-point favorite Thursday. The Over (175) easily hit, as the teams combined for 201 points — just as joked about on last weekend's telecast. Alabama G Mark Sears put on a show, dropping 34 points on an efficient 11-of-18 shooting, including 10-for-16 from beyond the arc. He also tallied 8 assists and 3 steals. G Aden Holloway contributed 23 points off the bench, while F Grant Nelson grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. For the second straight season, Alabama is vying for a trip to the Final Four. Last year, the Crimson Tide defeated sixth-seeded Clemson 89-82, advancing to the national semifinals before falling to eventual champion UConn, 86-72. This marks Alabama's third-ever Elite 8 appearance, and the first time it will face a team other than UConn. Stream select live college basketball games and full replays: Get ESPN+ Alabama vs. Duke odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 2:01 a.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Alabama +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Duke -300 (bet $300 to win $100) : Alabama +240 (bet $100 to win $240) | Duke -300 (bet $300 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) : Alabama +7.5 (-118) | Duke -7.5 (-102) : Alabama +7.5 (-118) | Duke -7.5 (-102) Over/Under (O/U): 174.5 (O: -115 | U: -105) Alabama vs. Duke picks and predictions Prediction Duke 96, Alabama 91 Duke (-300) will set you back 3 times your potential return, and that's way too much to risk on a standalone bet. Over the long term, betting favorites like that SU is a losing strategy. Even if you were to include the Blue Devils in a multi-leg parlay, it is only profitable if you're able to toss in an odds boost and/or no-sweat bet. AVOID, and look to the spread instead. ALABAMA +7.5 (-118) is worth playing with the points. The Crimson Tide continue to impress with their relentless offensive firepower. They know how to put up big numbers, and they'll have the opportunity to do so against Duke. However, the Blue Devils know a thing or two about scoring, too, and this Duke team is one of the deepest teams Alabama has seen all season. It will have its hands full with Flagg and company all night long. OVER 174.5 (-115) is the best play on the board, and the scoreboard operator at The Rock better limber up his/her fingers for a busy night with frequent scoring. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook. College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group: Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting
