[h=1]Preview: Butler vs Arkansas[/h]When: 3:10 PM ET, Friday, March 16, 2018
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
[FONT="]Tenth seed Butler and No. 7 Arkansas find themselves in the same region of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, only this time with much different seeds. The Bulldogs and Razorbacks, who will meet Friday in the first round of the East Region at Detroit, were eliminated by eventual champion North Carolina last season in the South Region.
[FONT="]Kelan Martin, who led all players in scoring in Big East games at 23.6 per contest, is back in the tournament for a fourth consecutive season. The Bulldogs have had a see-saw campaign, going 4-6 since the start of February, but were never in doubt to make the field, particularly after reaching the semifinals of the Big East Tournament, where they lost to Villanova. The Razorbacks and coach Mike Anderson, who has guided his team to three tournament bids in seven seasons, advanced to the semifinals in the SEC Tournament before bowing to runner-up Tennessee. Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon have averaged 18 and 16.9 points, respectively, this season for the Razorbacks, who have won eight of their last 11 games.[/FONT]
TV:[FONT="] 3 p.m. ET, truTV[/FONT]
ABOUT BUTLER (20-13):[FONT="] Martin averaged 15 points and 6.3 rebounds in the Bulldog's run to the Sweet 16 last season as a No. 4 seed, which ended with a loss to the Tar Heels, and all told he has played in seven tournament games. The 6-7 forward from Louisville has been a dominant player this season for first-year coach LaVall Jordan, putting up 19 20-point games, including four games with 30 or more points. Kamar Baldwin, Paul Jorgensen and Tyler Wideman represent the main supporting cast for the Bulldogs, who lost to potential second round opponent Purdue 82-67 on Dec. 16 at the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in their hometown of Indianapolis. [/FONT]
ABOUT ARKANSAS (23-11): [FONT="]After serving more as a complementary player last season, Barford has been a star this year for the Razorbacks, who got in with a No. 8 seed last season and defeated Seton Hall before bowing to North Carolina. The senior from Tennessee improved in just about every area over last season, but none were more pronounced than his 3-point shooting, which stands at 43.6 percent after shooting below 30 percent last season. Daniel Gafford (11.9 points), a 6-11 freshman center from Argentina, leads the team in rebounding (6.2) and blocked shots (2.1).[/FONT]
TIP-INS
[FONT="]1. The Razorbacks have compiled a 42-31 record in the NCAA Tournament, including 20-11 in the first round. [/FONT]
[FONT="]2. Jordan is making his first NCAA Tournament appearance while Anderson has now made it nine times with three different teams (Missouri, UAB).[/FONT]
[FONT="]3. The winner plays Purdue or Cal State Fullerton in Sunday's second round.[/FONT][/FONT]