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NEW ORLEANS – Caleb Love has a term he goes to often when describing a player’s full capability.
The word is “bag,” as in, such-and-such has a lot in his bag, and so on.
If all players have a bag, that means Love does, too. And inside his bag, which is a bit larger now than it was a few months ago, includes perhaps his greatest attribute.
Not his summer-camp-taught perfect jump shot, though that’s tucked away in there, too. Not his driving ability, as that’s also inside. Not his drive-draw-and-dish talents, and it’s not the many other things the gifted sophomore has accumulated and stuffed into his hoops pouch.
Love is unflappable. He is unbreakable. And he can never be completely thrown off his game, even when appearances suggest otherwise. That, is the intangible inside his bag.
“He’s one of the most confident guys I know,” teammate Brady Manek said not long after the Tar Heels eliminated Duke in the Final Four at the Superdome. “He doesn’t care if he misses 20 shots, he’s going to shoot the 21st shot right away. That’s what’s really good about him. He’s done it many times this year.”
The most recent was on the biggest stage ever for one of the greatest rivalries in American sports.
Love had a pedestrian first half scoring six points on 3-for-8 shooting, with four of the misses coming on his only attempts from beyond the arc. The final numbers, however, speak to what Manek expressed.
After pouring in 22 points after halftime, Love finished with 28. So, in two of UNC’s last three games, both of which were against blueblood programs (UCLA), Love has scored 27 and 22 points in the second halves.
That is what dudes who know they are dudes do. And dudes have extensive bags that include stuff others don’t exactly possess.
“Just knowing the work I put in,” Love said after the win, when asked about maintaining so much trust in himself even when struggling. “I’ve put in so much work this offseason. Not only this offseason throughout the whole season. Just sticking to my work.
“Sometimes I feel like I settle on the three too much. Coach (Hubert Davis) is always telling me to get downhill and that’s what I did after I seen a couple go through everything else worked out.”
Downhill means driving the ball into the lane with intent of going right to the rim if available. Love did that more than a handful of times Saturday night, including right at 7-foot-1 Duke center Mark Williams one time, resulting in two more points for the Tar Heels.
But Love being Love and having that keep-shooting mentality showed out early in the second half. With Duke smacking Carolina for two quick dunks to open the period, the Heels needed their microwave to heat up, and he did.
Love sparked a 13-0 UNC run that pushed the Heels to a 47-41 lead by scoring 10 of those points. Later in the contest, Love converted a layup for a 64-63 UNC lead, another driving lay for a 69-68 advantage, a three-pointer that will live until the end of time for a 78-74 lead with 25 seconds left, and three free throws over the final 17 seconds.
His coach hit a ton of big shots back in the day during a 12-year NBA career, so he understands those moments aren’t for everyone, but Love is built for them.
“Very few guys in that situation are looking for that type of shot,” Davis said about Love’s three over the out-stretched arms of Williams. “Caleb is one of them. He has the confidence to be able to knock it down.”
And he knocked down a bunch of shots Saturday night, and it’s why the Tar Heels will play on Monday night.
