Tar Heels return to familiar spot
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Joel Berry II scored 26 points and Justin Jackson added 24 as top-seeded North Carolina moved into the Elite Eight with a 92-80 victory over Butler in the NCAA South Region on Friday night.
Luke Maye recorded his first career doubledouble with 16 points and 12 rebounds, helping fuel a quick start for the Tar Heels (30-7), who never let their lead drop below double digits in the second half.
North Carolina is in the Elite Eight for the 27th time and will face Kentucky on Sunday.
Andrew Chrabascz led the fourth-seeded Bulldogs (25-9) with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Kelan Martin finished with 16 points.
The Tar Heels hit 13 of their first 18 shots, including 6 of 7 from behind the arc, and scored on 19 of their first 25 possessions to build a 16-point lead. They connected on 54.4 percent of their shots for the game.
Butler, which endured an early scoreless stretch of more than four minutes, finished at 43.5 percent.
While the Bulldogs managed to whittle the deficit to single digits on a couple of occasions before halftime, North Carolina would simply answer with another rally, the last one of the half stretching the Tar Heels’ lead to 52-32.
By halftime, Jackson had 17 points and Maye had already reached his career high in points with 14 while grabbing nine of the Tar Heels’ 22 boards. That helped North Carolina carry a 52-36 lead into the break.
The Tar Heels stretched their lead back out to 20 near the 12minute mark of the second half, but Butler refused to roll over.
A 13-4 Bulldogs run made a dent as Martin had seven points in that stretch and Avery Woodson connected on a 3pointer. Martin closed out the run with another 3 to pull Butler within 71-60.
The Bulldogs cut the deficit to 10 two minutes later but were unable to get any closer.
De’Aaron Fox scored a career-high 39 points as the Wildcats beat the Bruins for a spot in the South Region final.
The only No. 2 seed to advance, the Wildcats (32-5) won their 14th straight game. Coach John Calipari’s latest crop of talented freshmen put Kentucky into a regional final for the sixth time in seven years.