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Caleb Love says North Carolina improved on defensive communication

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh02/23/23griffin_mcveigh
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UNC star guard Caleb Love had an NCAA Tournament to remember. He’s now being rewarded with an epic increase in his On3 NIL Valuation.

North Carolina was firmly on the bubble entering Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame. Heading into the halftime break with an eight-point deficit, the Tar Heels looked like they were going to go from preseason No. 1 to out of the NCAA Tournament. But somehow, someway, they were able to flip a switch in the second half and earn a win.

Something changed on the defensive end, with point guard Caleb Love saying North Carolina was communicating better. Not just verbalizing what was going to happen on the court but following through and performing the action.

“Just our talking,” Love said about what changed in the second half. “We just got to communicate and be better at communicating as far as being definitive, actually doing what we say. So if we say we’ll switch, we actually got to do that. We don’t say nothing, we got to stay on our man. I feel like the communication was better.”

While what Love is describing might seem simple, North Carolina has struggled this season. Players have admitted to not being on the same wavelength, especially during a period in ACC play. Notre Dame did score more points in the second half compared to the first 20 minutes. However, a small change in communication can change everything.

According to Sports Reference, Notre Dame has an offensive rating of 88.1. Compared to North Carolina, which came in at 94.1. An impressive night overall for head coach Hubert Davis’ squad.

From an offensive standpoint, Love had a good night for Carolina. He finished with 16 points, tied with Armando Bacot as a team-high. He shot five of 11 from the field and most importantly, got a win for the Tar Heels.

Caleb Love, North Carolina still have work to do

Winning is never a bad thing. North Carolina was able to take care of business against Notre Dame and get back on the right track. However, there is still more work to be done if the Tar Heels want to comfortably make the NCAA Tournament.

Three regular season games remain, with arguably the most important coming on Saturday. A Quad 1 opportunity sits in front of North Carolina with Virginia in town. Of course, the year will close with the rivalry game against Duke. A road trip to Tallahassee to play Florida State falls in between.

All three likely need to result in wins for UNC. If Love can continue to communicate well with his team on the defensive end, you may like their chances.