Tommy Lloyd says Caleb Love is built for the moment ahead of game vs. Duke, return to Carolina
Tommy Lloyd has no concerns whatsoever about Caleb Love returning to the state of North Carolina this Friday.
The first-year Wildcat guard had 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds in his debut Monday night. Arizona beat Morgan State 122-59 as eight different UA players reached double digits on the scoreboard. Love was a weapon in the arsenal for Arizona.
So many times at his previous school, Love was a lone gunman trying to shoot his team across the finish line. Now, in just his second game with Arizona, the dynamic scoring guard will return to the state of Carolina for a top-15 showdown with No. 2 Duke.
“I think Caleb’s pretty tough and tough-minded,” Lloyd said after Monday night’s victory. “I know it’s probably gonna draw a lot of attention, but he’s built for it.
Lloyd said he’s not going to ask Love to get up in front of the team and present a scouting report on Duke. They’ll listen to anything Love wants to provide, but they aren’t going to lean on him to do anything more than prepare to play.
Love spent three seasons at North Carolina, where he started 96 of his 101 appearances. In seven career games against Duke, Love has averaged 17.7 points on 40% shooting. His teams were 2-1 at Cameron Indoor, where Love twice topped 20 points.
In front of the Duke crowd, Love has averaged 19.7 points on 38% shooting from the floor and 42% shooting from 3. He had a poor showing in his most recent trip to Durham, but was outstanding in his debut there as a freshman.
“I just know this: We can go there and play a good basketball game without Caleb playing out of his mind,” Lloyd said. “That’s one of the gifts I’ve tried to give him. You don’t need to necessarily blend in here, but you have an opportunity to settle in and let the game come to you a little bit. I think he’ll get more and more comfortable with that. Every time he’s put our uniform on against another team, I think he’s played really good and he’s been a great teammate.”
The two sides face off at 4 p.m. PT on ESPN2 this Friday.