Meanwhile, Williams was a double-double machine that provided an interior presence on both ends of the court. Ray was one of the top scorers in college basketball last season, averaging 21.2 points per game. The Owls finished below-.500 last season and with the graduations of some of their most productive players- Kendrick Ray and Aubrey Williams-this might be an even tougher year for them. Here is a look at what awaits Butler in the first half of the regular season. This year, the Bulldogs have a pretty decent non-conference slate headlined by their appearance in the PK80: Phil Knight Invitational and a couple of solid opponents sprinkled throughout. With Chris Holtmann at Ohio State and alumnus LaVall Jordan in at head coach, Butler will try to recreate the same success and build on last season. Last year, Butler finished 25-9, with the second-best record in the Big East-although it swept conference champion Villanova in both regular season meetings-and it reached the Sweet 16. The Bulldogs did well, finishing that portion of their schedule with an 11-1 record. According to KenPom, the Bulldogs had the 40th toughest out-of-conference slate last season, the second-highest ranking of all Big East teams. And someway, somehow, between now and game time tomorrow, he's got to get to be the Joel Berry that we've seen all year and that's played great for us.Butler was well-prepped for the rigors of Big East play, thanks to a pretty tough non-conference schedule last season. Berry is nursing an ankle injury, and while Williams said he looked better in practice Thursday, 'he's still not Joel, yet. Future NBA draft pick Justin Jackson leads North Carolina in scoring at 18.1 points per game, but three others - Joel Berry II (14.4 ppg), Kennedy Meeks (12.7 ppg) and Isaiah Hicks (12.4 ppg) - average 12 or more. Woodson called them 'the best offensive rebounding team in the last 10 years.' They also lead the country in rebounding margin at 13.1 per game, the highest mark in school history. When North Carolina has the ball: The Tar Heels are dominant on the offensive glass, leading the country in offensive rebound percentage at 42.4 percent. Butler, meanwhile, is 33-1 under Holtmann when it scores at least 80, including 12-1 this season. North Carolina has won nine consecutive games in which it scored 90 points or more. Butler won the most recent meeting between the two teams, 74-66, in the Bahamas in 2014. The Tar Heels have made 48 NCAA Tournament appearances, which is second only to Kentucky's 56. Butler, meanwhile, is seeking its first trip to the Elite Eight since 2011. The Tar Heels lost to Villanova in the national title game a year ago and have not reached the Final Four in back-to-back years since 2008-09. Skinny: With a win, North Carolina will return to the Elite Eight for the sixth time in the past 10 years. I'll let you figure that out.' A closer look at Butler-North Carolina So somebody is going to be really calm come opening tip and somebody is going to be really nervous. 'I think between (Williams) and I, we have eight Final Fours, two national championships, about 15 Sweet 16s and a ton of conference championships and over 900 wins. They are elite in everything they do,' Holtmann said. 1 seed who can easily win a national championship, who has a Hall of Fame coach and a terrific program. However, they are still the underdogs here, Holtmann acknowledged. They're closer in pedigree to the rest of the region than some might think. And with wins this season over Arizona, Xavier (twice) and Villanova (twice), the Bulldogs have shown that this year's team is not to be taken lightly. And, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers, they were only barely favored to beat Middle Tennessee State in the Round of 32.īutler has won each of its past two meetings against North Carolina and is 2-3 all-time against No. They don't have any household names or recognizable stars on their roster. The Bulldogs finished 25-8 in the Big East and lost in the first round of their conference tournament. 4 seed with little fanfare entering tonight's game against the Tar Heels. In an NCAA South Regional alongside three of the sport's bluebloods, Butler has been cast as the outlier of the group, a No.

The UCLA men's basketball team brought Lonzo Ball, arguably one of the most electric players in this year's NCAA Tournament.Īnd the Butler men's basketball team? Well, it basically just showed up.

The Kentucky men's basketball team came to town with several NBA-ready stars, and the intriguing storyline of coach John Calipari's return to Memphis. 1 seed, a program with 19 Final Four appearances in its decorated history.

The North Carolina men's basketball team arrived in Memphis this week with the cachet of a No.

Butler basketball schedule 2017