Caleb Love, North Carolina's leading scorer, enters transfer portal

North Carolina leading scorer Caleb Love is leaving the program.

Love announced Monday that he is entering the transfer portal after three seasons with the Tar Heels. Love averaged 16.7 points per game this season to lead UNC but did so on 37.8% from the field, 29.9% from 3 and while putting up 15.1 field-goal attempts per game. Love took 88 more shots than any other of his UNC teammates this season and also has struggled with turnovers throughout his career.

Love, who holds career averages of 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

Love helped North Carolina embark on a remarkable run to the national championship game last season. Most notably, Love hit a massive 3-pointer in the final minute of UNC’s win over rival Duke in the Final Four in what ended up being the final game of legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s career.

Love ended up averaging 18.8 points per game during that tournament run, including a 30-point outing in the Sweet 16 win over UCLA and the 28-point performance in the win over Duke.

UNC went on to lose in the national title game to Kansas but was expected to be among the best teams in the country this season. Instead, UNC fell dramatically short of expectations and missed the NCAA tournament altogether despite returning four starters. In doing so, North Carolina became the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the tournament since the field expanded in 1985.

The Tar Heels finished the season 20-13 overall and declined an NIT invitation. Since then, decisions for next season’s roster have been trickling out with Love’s being the latest. Armando Bacot (15.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg) and RJ Davis (16.1 ppg) have announced they will be back next season while five others — Puff Johnson, Justin McKoy, Tyler Nickel, Will Shaver and Dontrez Styles — have entered the transfer portal in addition to Love.

Johnson, McKoy, Nickel, Shaver and Styles were all reserves for UNC this season.