North Carolina’s Caleb Love is back in the transfer portal. Could he consider Mizzou?
The transfer portal continues to bring a new wave of excitement to college basketball’s offseason. And another twist was brought to the sport’s version of free agency when it was announced UNC transfer Caleb Love is back on the market.
Once part of the UNC squad that fell to the Kansas Jayhawks in the 2022 national championship game, Love, who averaged double-figures in scoring all three years at UNC, had originally committed to Michigan in his first transfer recruitment. But ESPN reported Wednesday night, via unnamed sources, that Love had “reopened his recruitment” after facing “an admissions issue related to credits transferring” from UNC to Michigan.
“The St. Louis native now becomes the best available player in the men’s basketball transfer portal,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. “He initially chose Michigan over home-state Missouri.”
Recruiting analysis Adam Zagoria wrote on social media Wednesday: “Schools to keep an eye on for Caleb Love now: Missouri and Indiana”
According to betting odds posted at BetMissouri.com, the Tigers are the favorite to land Love with +350 odds (22.2% chance). Next up is Indiana (+400) followed by Memphis (+700), Illinois (+700) and Texas (+700).
The option for “The Field” is listed at +395. CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reports “returning to UNC is not on the table.”
Any program that adds Love will be getting a dynamic scorer who averaged 16.7 points for a UNC team that declined an NIT invite last season. He shot only 37.8% from the field and 29.9% from three last season, but Love, who shot 36% from three as a sophomore in 2021-22, is a career 81.5% free-throw shooter and chipped in with 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last year.
In the 2022 run to the national title game, Love scored 23 points in a first-round win over Marquette, 30 points in a Sweet 16 win over UCLA and 28 points in a Final Four win over Duke. He scored just 13 points on 5-for-24 shooting in the title game loss to KU.
