UNC Basketball: Five bold predictions for 2021-22 season

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GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 10: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels attempts a shot during the first half of their second round game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Caleb Love leads the team in scoring

The focus this season will be on Bacot as he returns for his junior season, and rightfully so. He’s a really damn good player and a candidate for the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year award. But what happens if Caleb Love takes that next step in his game?

Is there a possibility he becomes the scoring guard that UNC recruited him to be on a consistent basis? I think the Tar Heels would take that.

The former five-star recruit had an up-and-down first season in Chapel Hill, flashing his potential but then going into a shell and struggling at other times. Now, Love has a full offseason in Chapel Hill where he’s been able to work on his game and join in on the legendary pickup games over the Summer.

This season, Love will be the starter at the point guard position and will be the leader of the offense. But before he can focus on being a better scorer he needs to work on being consistent overall in his game including running the offense. Getting the ball into his playmaker’s hands and being consistent will help take the pressure off of him and allow him to relax more.

The other thing is being a better shooter. Love has the potential to get to the rim and and finish strong but his outside shooting needs to improve. Last season, Love averaged 10.5 points per game but shot 31.6 percent from the field. That included going 26.6 percent from the three-point line. An improvement in those areas means his points per game will go up and he could end up being a top scorer on this team.

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