March Madness: North Carolina advances to Elite Eight after Butler win
The Tar Heels’ offense stepped up as they cruised by the Butler Bulldogs to reach March Madness’ Elite Eight.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are now just one game away from making it to another Final Four.
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North Carolina’s offense stepped up big time as they defeated the Butler Bulldogs on Friday night, 92-80, in Memphis. The Tar Heels found themselves in a battle early on, but the offense started clicking thanks to Justin Jackson, Luke Maye, and Joel Berry II. All three players were the catalysts for the Tar Heels offense, combining for 41 of the team’s 52 during the first half.
Berry finished the game as the leading scorer for the Tar Heels, scoring 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Jackson scored 17 points in the first half to finish with 24 for the game. Maye scored 16 points off the bench.
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Maye came into the game averaging five points per game. The 16 he scored Friday night was a career-high. Additionally, he had 12 rebounds to record a double-double.
The Tar Heels offense continued to attack in the second half, getting up by as much as 20 points. Butler tried to rally and cut the lead down, but it wouldn’t be enough to save the Bulldogs season.
Andrew Chrabascz led Butler with 21 points and seven rebounds. Kelan Martin had 16, while Kamar Baldwin scored 14.
This game wasn’t as much of a scare for the Tar Heels as the Arkansas game in the second round. One big reason why was their perimeter game.
North Carolina made eight of its nine three-pointers in the first half. With Berry, Jackson, and Maye making three’s, it was virtually impossible for the Bulldogs to rally.
The Tar Heels also did a nice job of passing the ball around. They had 22 assists total (14 in the first half) with 31 field goals total. By comparison, Butler had just 13 assists.
Next: Catching you up on the Midwest region
There is one goal in mind for the Tar Heels and that’s winning the National title. They just need three more wins to accomplish the goal. North Carolina awaits the winner of the Kentucky/UCLA game. The South Region final will take place Sunday.