March Madness: Butler vs North Carolina preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Michael Foy
On Friday night in March Madness, the Butler Bulldogs take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet Sixteen
TV Schedule: Friday, Mar. 24, 7:09 p.m. ET, CBS
Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Prediction: North Carolina 80, Butler 75
The North Carolina Tar Heels, the number one seed in the South Region, take on the number four seeded Butler Bulldogs in a match-up of a blue blood versus a not-so-Cinderella.
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Butler hasn’t been to the Sweet Sixteen since 2011, a season that ended with a runner-up finish to Connecticut in the National Championship. Can the Bulldogs make another Final Four run? The Butler Bulldogs are coming off of a 76-64 win over Winthrop, followed by a 74-65 win over Middle Tennessee. The Bulldogs had rallied around outstanding three-point shooting in their victory over the Blue Raiders, connecting on 8-15 (53.3 percent) of their shots. They will need a repeat performance if they want to beat a talented Tar Heels team.
One thing we know Carolina will do is rebound the ball at a high rate. They lead the nation in virtually every rebounding statistical category, while Butler ranks in the second half in most of these same categories. Carolina will get theirs, so the Bulldogs will need to connect on their shots since second chance points won’t be easy to come by.
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North Carolina cruised in their first round match-up against Texas Southern, winning 103-64 and winning all of their fans back in Chapel Hill free biscuits. Things were much different in their second game, as they escaped a tough Arkansas team, 72-65, a game that was much closer than the final score. Despite such a poor performance, we should give the Heels credit, they dug in late in the game and held the Razorbacks scoreless in the last three minutes of play.
Carolina shot the ball terribly against Arkansas, connecting on 38.1 percent of their shots from the field, and 29.4 percent from three-point range. Their most important player, Joel Berry II, led the way connecting on 2-of-13 shots, including 2-of-8 from beyond the arc. They are going to have to shoot a whole lot better than this if they want to beat a tough Butler team.
If Butler connects on their three-point shots, they have a great chance in this game. If the Heels play as well as they are capable of, as well as drop their shooting woes from last game, they will come out on top.
We shouldn’t call Butler a Cinderella ever again because this program is legit and successful year in and year out. That being said, they don’t have the fire power like North Carolina. Butler has one four-star player on their roster, while North Carolina has four five-star players. Most teams don’t have as many players with such high profiles like Carolina, and Butler is no different, which still makes this game a match-up of David versus Goliath.
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This game will be close. Butler will give Carolina all that they can handle, but the Tar Heels will find a way to win another close game and advance on their revenge tour in the NCAA Tournament.