Butler has been in this position before and won't be afraid of taking on one of the top teams in the nation, North Carolina, in the Ncaa Tournament's South region. The Bulldogs took down Middle Tennessee last weekend to advance to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels avoided an upset against Arkansas, storming past them in a late-game run. Butler defeated North Carolina in both games of a home-and-home series back in 2012 and 2014. Tipoff is set for 7:09 PM Eastern time and it will be broadcast on CBS and the March Madness Live app.
No. 4 Butler (25-8, 19-12 ATS)
The Bulldogs had a quick exit in the Big East tournament with a 62-57 loss to Xavier. That proved to simply be a tough matchup as we've seen the Musketeers advance to the Elite 8. Butler looks to be the second Big East team making it after taking down Winthrop and Middle Tennessee in the early rounds at Milwaukee.
Kelan Martin (16 ppg, 5.8 rpg) stumbled by his standards with just 10 points against Winthrop, but he rebounded with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Blue Raiders. Kamar Baldwin (10 ppg) also recorded 13 points, the first time he hit double figures in the last four games.
No. 1 North Carolina (29-7, 18-15-2 ATS)
After demolishing Texas Southern in the opening round, it looked like the Tar Heels' season was in jeopardy against Arkansas.
The Razorbacks had a 65-62 lead with less than three minutes to go. However, the top seeded team was able to finish on a 10-0 run to close the deal. They overcame shooting just 38.1 percent from the field.
Kennedy Meeks (12.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) recorded his second double-double in his last three games with 16 points and 11 boards.
He's also averaged 16 points in the last three contests. Justin Jackson (18.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) also has been a force on the glass in this tournament, grabbing a total of 15 boards in the first two games.
This game is the first of the South regional semifinals, which are taking place in Memphis, Tennessee. North Carolina is favored by 7 points and the total O/U is set at 152.5 points. Butler is 8-1-1 against the spread in their last 10 games against ACC opponents.
