The Butler Bulldogs were among the bubble teams awaiting their fate during the Selection Show. They had a few Quadrant 1 wins, like when they beat Villanova, but they also lost some easy games down the stretch against Georgetown and St. John’s.
The Southeastern Conference secured eight spots in the field of 68. The conference had a great season. I didn’t expect them to receive so many bids. Arkansas didn’t have much to worry about on Sunday as they were a no-brainer choice for an at-large bid.
Can Arkansas play good enough perimeter defense to stop Butler’s dead-eye shooters?
Who do you think will win?
Do you have #7 Arkansas Razorbacks or #10 Butler Bulldogs?
The Arkansas Razorbacks are inconsistently consistent. They can have fantastic wins over teams like Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Tennessee, but then lost to Houston by 26 points. They have lost by double-digits way more than any team at their level. Freshman Daniel Gafford gets all the press as he will be in the NBA one day, but seniors Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon move the needle for the Razorbacks. If those guys struggle on offense, Arkansas loses.
The Butler Bulldogs lost their head coach to Ohio State this offseason, but LaVell Jordan seamlessly took over the job. He has the team shooting a lot of threes and it has paid off this season. Butler has four players on the team with 100+ three pointers made. Kelan Martin leads the team with 240 made from beyond the arc. They are a difficult team to beat when the shots are falling.
Arkansas is a more athletic team, but Butler is dangerous if left alone around the perimeter. The Razorbacks have had teams light them up from beyond the arc this season. Many of those games were the ones they lost by double-digits. An upset is possible here and I’m calling it for Butler
Prediction: #10 Butler Bulldogs
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.