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Caleb Love’s Monster Dunk Had Everyone Making the Same Joke

Ryan Phillips

Arizona Wildcats G Caleb Love dunks against Iowa State
Arizona Wildcats G Caleb Love dunks against Iowa State / Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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Caleb Love threw down a thunderous dunk during Arizona's matchup with Iowa State on Monday night and it led to a lot of jokes.

Love got out in the open court on a breakaway late in the first half. Rather than give the ball up he decided to lift off and create his own highlight. Coming from the right side, he took off a few feet inside the free-throw line and soared for a majestic dunk to give the Wildcats a 32–25 lead.

That's a beauty.

Some other angles are below.

As that highlight was shared on social media, a lot of college basketball fans made the same joke. Many were puzzled that Love was still playing college basketball.

Yes, Love has been around a while. The 23-year-old began his career at North Carolina during the 2020-21 season, then stuck around for the 2021-22 campaign after Roy Williams retired. He helped lead the Tar Heels to the national title game, where they lost to Kansas. He again returned for the 2022-23 season and things went south quickly for UNC as the team struggled to a 20-13 record.

Love wound up transferring to Arizona for his senior season and it worked out. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and was a third-team AP All-American after averaging 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He returned for the 2024-25 campaign by taking advantage of the extra season available to him thanks to Covid.

So, yes, Love has been in college basketball for quite some time, but it's not like he's Cam Rising or anything.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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