Butler has just been quietly going about its business during March Madness and has largely gone unnoticed by the casual fan. This is exactly where the Bulldogs want to be, going 7-1 ATS in their past eight contests when being pegged as dogs. The Bulldogs have an uphill battle in front of them when they take on the UNC Tar Heels on Friday.
- UNC is 16-4 SU in its last 20 games against teams with winning records.
- The total has gone UNDER in Butler's last 4 games.
- Butler is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games after winning the previous game in a matchup.
Butler hasn’t exactly had the most difficult path to the Sweet 16 with games against Winthrop and Middle Tennessee. The Bulldogs have held those opponents to 64.4 ppg and a dreadful 29.5 percent from deep. Avery Woodson has stepped up his game for March Madness with the senior shooting 8-for-14 from beyond the arc.
It’s hard to predict what UNC squad we are going to see in this game. Are we going to see the Tar Heels that pounded Texas Southern 103-64 while picking up 54 rebounds? Or do we see the team that barely got past Arkansas in a sloppy, hard-to-watch game? Either way, Joel Berry II needs to start playing better, with the point guard shooting just 5-for-21 for the tournament. In Berry’s defense, he has been dealing with an ankle injury but his inefficiency could be damning.
Butler Bulldogs vs North Carolina Tar Heels Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
North Carolina Tar Heels battles the Butler Bulldogs, currently sitting with a 25-8 mark (20-13 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals betting, are 15-21 for the North Carolina Tar Heels and 14-18-1 for the Butler Bulldogs.
It's a betting matchup between the No. 16-rated North Carolina Tar Heels and the No. 80-ranked Butler Bulldogs, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
Scoring and defensive stats point to some betting edges in this matchup. The game features North Carolina's No. 9-ranked scoring average of 85.06 PPG, against a Butler Bulldogs defense rated No. 62 and allowing 68.15 PPG. The North Carolina Tar Heels FG% has averaged 46.99% to date this season, less than the Butler Bulldogs shooters have managed so far (47.88% per game).
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Butler got 19 points from Kelan Martin en route to a 74-65 victory over Middle Tennessee on Saturday at Bradley Center.
The Tar Heels got 16 points from Kennedy Meeks as North Carolina ran past Arkansas 72-65 on Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.
