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Hate it or Love it
Caleb Love lands at Arizona. How will that go? Plus, some NBA Draft decisions and good early news for North Carolina
It’s gonna be a big day for a handful of programs waiting on players making NBA Draft decisions. They have until midnight to withdraw and remain eligible for the 2023-24 season.
Conversely, there’s Arizona. A decision on Tuesday could determine their year.
1. Arizona gets some Love
Last week, we learned that Arizona, Gonzaga and Texas were the three primary suitors for former North Carolina guard Caleb Love. I made the case that Arizona made the most sense.
Love agrees.
I now present to you… “Savage Mode 2” #BearDown🐻⬇️🅰️ twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
— Caleb Love (@caleb2love)
7:08 PM • May 30, 2023
Love’s ability has never been questioned. His spectacular play during North Carolina’s run to the 2023 national title game cemented him as a player capable of incredible highs — and lows. There is no historic run, no 30-point outburst against UCLA, and no shot over Mark Williams without Love. So what to expect in Arizona?
Love has never shot above 38 percent from the field in three seasons. Not just from beyond the arc, but all field goal attempts. If there’s a solution, Tommy Lloyd’s fast-paced transition offense should help him find a groove rather than plodding, half-court sets. And Arizona can bench Love if he starts the game cold and play Jaden Bradley and Kylan Boswell together — a luxury that North Carolina’s bench didn’t offer.
A random nugget: Three projected Arizona starters previously played on teams who appeared in a national title game before transferring to Arizona.
Oumar Ballo (Gonzaga in 2021)
Caleb Love (North Carolina in 2022)
Keshad Johnson (San Diego State in 2023)
With Bradley, Boswell, Love, Pelle Larsson, Johnson and Ballo in hand, does this amount of talent make Arizona the clear Pac-12 favorite? Absolutely. That’s a collection of proven talent across multiple positions, and Kylan Boswell is one of the sport’s highest-upside guards.
Need more? Jeff Goodman brought in Riley Davis and Jason Scheer for even more reaction to the Love news.
2. Decision time for the NBA Draft
Multiple players announced NBA Draft decisions on Tuesday, so let’s not waste any time and dive right in.
The biggest news? Chris Beard has an NCAA Tournament-caliber roster in his first season in Oxford after learning that senior guard Matthew Murrell announced he will return for his senior season.
The 6-4 guard averaged 14.4 points, but shot just 36 percent from the field and only 30 percent from deep. Murrell’s efficiency needs work, but his lack of scoring consistency was more a factor of Ole Miss’s archaic offense. The floor spacing was awry and teams only had to worry about Murrell as a primary scorer.
Austin Nuenz, an Arizona State transfer, will run the point, while the wing depth is strong with Murrell, Brandon Murray and former Auburn player Allen Flanigan, who also committed to Ole Miss on Tuesday.
Pair those guys with Ole Miss’ interior defense — anchored by 7-5 shot-blocking threat Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky) and former Big 12 player of the year, Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State.) — and it’s a strong roster.
That wasn’t the only notable SEC news.
I’m Back! #RollTide🐘
— Mark Sears (@imcsears)
5:19 PM • May 30, 2023
Mark Sears started all 37 games for the Tide last season and averaged 12 points, three rebounds and four assists. His transition from the creator at Ohio to an off-ball scorer and secondary playmaker at Alabama was a success. Whether that role continues another year is the question.
Alabama’s still waiting on Jahvon Quinerly’s decision and has two incoming transfers who will see guard minutes in CAA POY Aaron Estrada and sharpshooting guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. Without center Charles Bediako, the guards will be the key to Bama’s success (unless Nate Oats grabs another big from the transfer portal.)
Other notable draft decisions:
All-ACC forward Blake Hinson is back in Pittsburgh for another season. The Panthers’ versatile forward averaged 16 points and shot 38 percent from deep.
If you want highlight reel plays, tune into UAB basketball to see Eric Gaines Jr. make plays like this on a regular basis. He’s back in Birmingham, ready to take the reigns as the go-to guy with Jelly Walker gone.
Notable names to monitor:
Alijah Martin and Johnell Davis, FAU
Trey Alexander, Creighton
Terrence Shannon Jr and Coleman Hawkins, Illinois
Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona
Zach Edey, Purdue
Kobe Brown, Missouri
DaRon Holmes II, Dayton
Dillon Jones, Weber State
NaeQwan Tomlin, Kansas State
Adem Bona, UCLA
Dillon Mitchell, Texas
Jordan Walsh, Arkansas
Julian Phillips, Tennessee/Portal
Reece Beekman, Virginia
Oscar Tshiebwe, Chris Livingston and Antonio Reeves, Kentucky
Tristan da Silva, Colorado
3. (No longer) Waiting for Cadeau
As one former North Carolina guard exited, one newcomer entered Chapel Hill.
I would like to announce that I will be joining the team this upcoming fall! #gdtbath
— Elliot Cadeau (@ElliotCadeau)
2:01 PM • May 30, 2023
Elliot Cadeau, a 5-star freshman in the class of 2024, reclassified and will enroll at UNC for the upcoming season. Many scouts regarded Cadeau as the best point guard in high school regardless of class, giving the Heels a nice playmaking boost.
The Swedish freshman is a transcendent passer — his highlight reel lobs and fullcourt passes will be a welcome sight for Carolina fans who watched their team play at just the 99th-fastest tempo in the country last year. Moreover, he excels in pick-and-roll in the halfcourt, which should buoy the Heels’ paltry assist rate (310th nationally, their lowest of the KenPom era.)
Now, typically, re-class guards struggle. But Cadeau could be different. He has international experience playing against professionals, and he’s coming off a spring of EYBL play where he averaged 15.7 points and 9.3 assists on 50/35/88 shooting splits.
Plus, it’s not like he will be the only offensive initiator at UNC. The Heels will be dangerous playing Cadeau and senior guard RJ Davis together. (Last season’s disappointment notwithstanding, Davis did effectively run a Final Four offense in 2022.) He’ll take the pressure off the rookie, and he will also benefit from playing next to someone with shot-creating gravity.
This move catapults North Carolina not only into most Top 25 rankings but maybe even the Top 20 range. The Heels have an All-American with Armando Bacot in the frontcourt and enough pieces around him to contend in the upper half of the ACC.
Cam Jam
Few players in the 2023 NBA Draft present more potential than Villanova wing Cam Whitmore. Rob Dauster and Greg Waddell discuss how his athleticism will make him a Top 5 draft pick, but also where the holes are in his game and how he projects in the NBA.
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Links while you refresh Twitter to see if Zach Edey is back for another season:
Colorado held “substantive” talks about re-joining the Big 12.
2024 guard Jason Jackson has committed to Ole Miss but will spend one season with Overtime Elite first
Potential reclass candidate Flory Bidunga will visit Michigan.
Which players stood out at the U16 Team USA trials?
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