March Madness 2017: North Carolina vs. Butler Prediction, Start Time, Live Stream Info

No.1 North Carolina and No.4 Butler begin Friday’s Sweet 16 action with a contest at FedExForum in Memphis. One team’s March Madness 2017 run will come to an end, while the other will be just one step away from reaching the Final Four.

CBS will have the game on TV with a 7:09 p.m. EDT start time, and viewers can watch a free live stream online at ncaa.com. Even though the Tar Heels were nearly knocked off in the second round, they are expected to advance to the Elite Eight.

READ: UCLA has the slight edge over Kentucky in the Sweet 16

North Carolina is the biggest favorite in the Sweet 16, giving Butler 7.5 points at Las Vegas sportsbooks, via OddsShark. The Tar Heels are the top seed in the South region after winning the ACC, which had been considered to be the best conference in all of college basketball. After the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, North Carolina is the only ACC team that’s still alive in March Madness.

But after a poor showing by the conference and needing a late comeback to defeat No.8 Arkansas in the Round of 32, the Tar Heels are tied with Kansas for the best odds to win the national championship. They are still among the most talented teams in the country, led by ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson.

Jackson leads the team with 18.1 points per game. He filled up the stat sheet against Arkansas, posting 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals. Joel Berry II is North Carolina’s No.2 scorer and their leader in assists, and the two juniors might be too much for Butler to handle.

Butler won’t be an easy out, and they’ve had no trouble in the tournament thus far. The Bulldogs haven’t trailed for a second, getting back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years.

The key in upsetting North Carolina will probably be Kelan Martin. Butler’s leading scorer was terrific against Middle Tennessee in the second round, scoring 19 points on just nine shot attempts. The junior has been dealing with a back injury, and the Bulldogs won’t be able to keep pace with North Carolina if he’s affected by his ailment.

The Tar Heels are among the best offensive teams in the nation. Butler has shown that they can defeat top teams, having handed Villanova two losses in 2017. They’ll keep Friday’s contest close, though North Carolina will probably pull out the victory.

The winner will go on to play the winner of UCLA vs. Kentucky in the South Regional Final.

Prediction: North Carolina over Butler, 78-74