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North Carolina ties college basketball record with Sweet 16 win

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•03/26/22•

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Caleb Love (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

North Carolina picked up a thrilling victory over UCLA on Friday night in the Sweet 16. In the process, the Tar Heels put themselves in some elite company.

UNC and Kentucky are now tied for the most NCAA Tournament wins in history with 129. The Tar Heels have a chance to take over first place on the all-time list if they can defeat the Cinderella story of the tournament, No. 15 Saint Peters, in the Elite Eight on Sunday.

North Carolina defeated UCLA — which is fifth in all-time NCAA Tournament victories — in the Sweet 16 thanks to a huge night from Caleb Love. He had 30 points and hit some massive shots down the stretch to send the No. 8 seed Tar Heels to the Elite Eight.

A win over Saint Peter’s could set up the first-ever meeting between UNC and Duke in the NCAA Tournament. For that to happen, though, the Blue Devils would need to defeat Arkansas Saturday night.

Amazing play lifts North Carolina past UCLA in upset win

Caleb Love wasn’t going to let North Carolina be knocked out of the NCAA Tournament against UCLA on Friday. With his team trailing 64-61 with about 1:30 left to play in the Sweet Sixteen, Love drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game.

Just one possession after hitting that shot, Love drained another from deep to give the Tar Heels a 67-64 lead with less than a minute to go. They would carry that momentum the rest of the game on their way to a 71-66 victory to advance to the Elite Eight.

After scoring just three points in the first half, Love delivered 27 second half points to finish with a team-high 30. In addition to making both the game-tying and go-ahead 3-point baskets, he calmly nailed a pair of free throws with eight seconds remaining to secure the win.

“He’s been fantastic all season, not just tonight,” Tar Heels coach Hubert Davis said of Love postgame. “One of the things I love about Caleb is his confidence and competitive nature. He always wants to be in big-time moments and make big-time plays, and he did that tonight. At the end of the day, especially in the NCAA Tournament, you just need guys to step up. It has nothing to do with coaching. It’s all about players. Caleb Love was absolutely fantastic.”

North Carolina’s Armando Bacot finished the game with 14 points and 15 rebounds despite dealing with a back injury. UNC shot 40.9% from the floor as a team and 32.3% from 3-point range in the win. The game was largely back-and-forth during the second half, with neither squad leading by more than eight points.