The top-seeded North Carolina men’s basketball team will look to keep its redemption tour rolling against No. 4 seed Butler in the Sweet 16 at 7:09 p.m. tonight. The Tar Heels hope this game will be a little more comfortable than their second round comeback victory over Arkansas, while the Bulldogs are vying for the upset.
Friday’s game marks the third year in a row North Carolina will play in the Sweet 16. Butler hasn’t made it this far since its magical tournament runs in 2010 and 2011, when the Bulldogs went to back-to-back national championship games.
How do they play?
Last year’s national champion and Butler’s rival in the Big East — Villanova — lost just three games in the regular season. Two of those defeats came at the hands of the Bulldogs, and each highlighted what they do to succeed.
Over the course of both games, Butler shot a combined 35-for-59 (59.3 percent) from inside the 3-point line. The Bulldogs have been able to keep up this clip throughout the season, as its 54.4 2-point percentage ranked 23rd in the country.
In its first game against the Wildcats, Butler turned the ball over just eight times en route to a 66-58 win. The team has been among the nation’s best at protecting the basketball all year, ranking 10th in the nation in turnover percentage.
Who stands out?
Butler’s top scorer — and arguably its best player — is junior forward Kelan Martin, who averages 16 points per game off the bench. Starting the game on the sidelines hasn’t halted Martin’s success this season, as he showed in the Bulldogs’ second-round win over Middle Tennessee State on Saturday.
In that game, Martin was 6-of-9 from the field and knocked down three 3-pointers on his way to a team-high 19 points. He also hauled in six rebounds and dished out four assists.
