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Armando Bacot: ‘Caleb (Love) is like the wife you divorced’

Alex Weberby: Alex Weber10/04/23Alexhweber
Armando Bacot and Caleb Love
Peyton Williams / Contributor PhotoG/Getty

When asked about Caleb Love’s transfer away from North Carolina, current Tar Heel star Armando Bacot compared the situation to a pair of divorced parents who share a child.

He joined Fox Sports broadcaster John Fanta for a recent conversation, where the topic of Love’s decision to leave North Carolina came up. “Sometimes in life, you’ve got to get divorced,” Bacot said of the situation. “You have to do things like that. Caleb is like the wife you divorced, but you both still have a kid together.”

Based on that interesting wording, Bacot appears to be on good terms with his former teammate, and even said the choice to transfer made sense for Love. “I definitely think it was for the best for him. Just for him, he needed a fresh start,” said the big man, noting that the relationship between him and the fans/media was untenable.

“Between how the fans were toward him and the media attention he got, it was tough for him.”

However, Armando Bacot won’t brush aside what Love accomplished as a Tar Heel. After all, they’ll always have that magical 2022 run to the national title game, which Caleb Love was obviously a huge part of. Every UNC fan remembers that it was No. 2 in baby blue who knocked down the dagger three-pointer to send Coach K into eternal retirement in their Final Four matchup.

“He hit one of the greatest shots in North Carolina history. It’s tough to see him go, but he’ll always be a part of history here,” added Bacot.

With Love and a number of other players transferring in and out, the personnel on this year’s North Carolina team is entirely different. With such changes, John Fanta asked if the team chemistry has improved. Bacot’s answer:

“Totally. Last year, coming off that March run, we got away from fully being a team. This year, with all of our new guys and all of them forming their own bond from not being here before and learning the ropes, it’s given us a new perspective.”

He continued, noting the big differences between this season and last. “Last year, we were shown what not to do. This year, we’re trying to get to know each other more. We’re trying to create that bond because all of that stuff makes a difference.”

Talent was never the issue for Carolina. Now, in 2023, hopefully the team chemistry won’t be either.