Keeping It Heel
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North Carolina Basketball: 10 players the rivals loved to hate the most

By Joey Loose

Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 21, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Tyler Hansbrough presents forward Armando Bacot (5) with the game ball after the game. Bacot became the all-time Tar Heels rebounding leader during the game breaking Hansbrough’s record. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 4, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) shoots in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2023; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Caleb Love (2) shoots in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

8. Caleb Love

This one might sting for both sides of the aisle, as Caleb Love is currently a member of the Michigan Wolverines. A 5-star guard from St. Louis, he arrived at North Carolina in 2020 and was a major weapon for the Tar Heels for the last three seasons. Even though he won’t finish his basketball career in North Carolina, he still did plenty to make himself hated by Blue Devils fans forever.

Love averaged around 16 points per game each of the last two seasons and was a major force for North Carolina, but it’s all about what happened during that historic sophomore season. He was one of the major factors in North Carolina’s run to the national title game last season, with his 28-point performance against Duke standing out.

Love didn’t have the best junior season, but that game alone will keep him among the most hated basketball players by the Duke fanbase for years to come. Love hit the dagger to put Duke away in the Final Four and that shot will maintain that hate for generations.

These two bitter rivals have only played that one time in the NCAA Tournament and the bragging rights that Love and North Carolina earned that night will last for a long time. Love heads to Michigan after struggling last season and needed a fresh start; would it be that surprising if some of the other Big Ten fanbases begin to loathe what Love can do on the court?

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