March Madness: Caleb Love has record-setting first half
Caleb Love put together a record-setting first-half performance en route to helping the UNC basketball program win a decisive March Madness matchup against Marquette.
You’re not going to find many single-half performances that top the one that Caleb Love put together during the first half of the UNC basketball program’s March Madness opening matchup.
In fact, Love was so good offensively, he almost outscored Marquette’s entire team!
Love scored 21 of his 23 points over the first 20 minutes of play, which was a huge boost that helped the Tar Heels gain a huge lead en route to a first-round victory. He made six three-pointers over that span, setting a new program record.
light. Related Story. Manek and UNC march past Marquette
There’s plenty of Tar Heel history involved with Love’s performance.
The St. Louis, Missouri native’s six triples tied a program record for the most in a single NCAA Tournament contest. Love joins Marcus Paige and Shammond Williams as the only Tar Heels to ever accomplish the feat.
Caleb Love’s six three-pointers tie the most by a Tar Heel in any NCAA Tournament game in history.
— Carolina Basketball Stats & Info (@UNCMBBStats) March 17, 2022
(Marcus Paige and Shammond Williams both also hit six.)
Additionally, Love now holds the record for the most three-pointers made in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup. He passes a group of former Tar Heels who previously were tied for the record with five threes in a single game.
Caleb Love's six 3-pointers are already the most by a @UNC_Basketball player in a Round-of-64/first-round game. Jeff McInnis vs. New Orleans, 1996; Ademola Okulaja vs. Weber State, 1999; P.J. Hairston vs. Villanova, 2013; and Justin Jackson vs. Texas Southern, 2017 made five.
— Pat James (@patjames24) March 17, 2022
Love also became the first Tar Heel to hit this many three-pointers in a single half since Coby White did it against the Miami Hurricanes back in 2019. You have to go back even further in the record books to see the last time a Tar Heel scored 20 or more points in a half during an NCAA tournament game.
Caleb Love with 21 points in the first half. The last time a Tar Heel had 20+ points in a half of a NCAA Tournament game was Marcus Paige (20) against Arkansas in 2015.
— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) March 17, 2022
In 2015, Paige scored 20 points in a half against Arkansas. No other Tar Heel has accomplished this since, which goes to show you just how difficult of a task it is.
And to think, Caleb Love made it look EASY!
The game got a bit chippy, as Love was tangled up a few times with Darryl Morsell. However, Love didn’t let the rough play get to him, as he stayed composed and continued to knock down shots.
When the UNC basketball program gets this version of Caleb Love, they are very tough to match up with. Hubert Davis and his staff are hopeful that Love has a few more of these types of performances left him in during the Tar Heels March Madness run.
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