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March Madness 2017: Ranking and previewing all Sweet 16 teams

By Keith Rivas

Dec 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) dives for the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) dives for the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 18, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Butler Bulldogs guard Kamar Baldwin (3) and Butler Bulldogs guard Kethan Savage (11) react during the first half of the game in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Butler Bulldogs guard Kamar Baldwin (3) and Butler Bulldogs guard Kethan Savage (11) react during the first half of the game in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports /

Butler Bulldogs

This time of the year usually brings out the best in the Bulldogs. After making that stunning run to the title game and falling a heave short of upsetting Duke, Butler has been on the map.

However, this year comes with some red flags. Making it to the Sweet 16 is great, no question about that, but they beat a No. 12 and No. 13 seed to get here.

First came an easy win over Winthrop then they took care of Middle Tennessee.

The Bulldogs will now try to jump from playing that kind of talent to the No. 1 seed in their part of the bracket, North Carolina.

A participant in last year’s championship fiasco, North Carolina isn’t going down quietly, and they’re obviously favored.

Against the Blue Raiders, the Bulldogs shot an electric 53% from three, while holding their opponent to just 21%. North Carolina likes to shoot quality shots, so the Bulldogs need to go into this making sure they know where to play defense.

Stopping star players is an easy answer, but a real solution for them will be dominating the boards. They failed to get an edge against Middle Tennessee, as the teams both got 28 boards, but that won’t give them any help versus the Tar Heels.

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