North Carolina Tar Heels Fall To Butler Bulldogs In The Bahamas

Roy Williams’ talented #5 ranked North Carolina team was simply outplayed by Butler in their match-up in the Bahamas. Butler looked stronger, faster, and quite frankly played better than UNC for the majority of the game, especially once the Bulldogs found their stride from outside the arc. Butler’s Alex Barlow and Kelan Martin set the tone for the game, leading the Bulldogs with 17 points apiece.

The game was close throughout the first half, going to halftime with a score of 35-32 in favor of UNC. However, when the second half began, Butler started to pull away. As the midway point in the second half approached, Butler started to explode into the lead. Missed shots and fouls by the Tar Heels helped Butler stretch their lead to 14 with 8 minutes left in the game.

As the 5-minute mark hit Butler’s shooting cooled off and,the Tar Heels clawed their way back within 5 with 1:30 left. The foul game continued until Barlow fouled Marcus Paige on a made layup with 37 seconds left. Paige converted the and-1 bringing the Heels within 3. UNC shot themselves in the foot with 16 seconds left when an errant pass led to a backcourt violation, seemingly sealing the win for Butler.

Overall, Butler looked like the more deserving team in this game. They dominated North Carolina on the boards, out-rebounding them 57-40. Butler’s 74-66 win over the Tar Heels sees the Bulldogs improve to 4-0 on the still young season.