UNC basketball loses starting guard, leading scorer Caleb Love to transfer portal

UNC junior Caleb Love will not be running it back with his basketball teammates again next season.

Love announced Monday on social media he will enter the NCAA transfer portal. He was among four starters from the Tar Heels’ 2022 run to the Final Four who returned to coach Hubert Davis’ team last offseason.

“I’ve taken some time with my family to reevaluate what’s best for me to continue to grow as a player, and I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to continue my journey,” he wrote.

Love started 96 games for UNC over three seasons. This past season, Love average 16.7 points per game on 37.8% shooting to lead the Tar Heels.

In 2021-22, Love averaged 15.9 points per game to help lead North Carolina to a berth in the national title game against Kansas. In the NCAA Tournament in 2022, Love average 18.8 points per game, including a 28-point performance against rival Duke in the teams’ national semifinal.

Love is the sixth UNC player to enter the transfer portal since the team’s disappointing finish to a once-promising season. The Heels were the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 poll, and became the first preseason No. 1 to miss the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams after bowing out of the ACC Tournament in the quarterfinals.

Fellow starters Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis announced recently they will return to Chapel Hill next season.

Puff Johnson, Will Shaver, Tyler Nickel, Dontrez Styles and Justin McKoy will also will enter the transfer portal.

This is a developing story and will be updated.