No. 8 Butler vs. No. 2 Florida
Region: Southeast
Time: 4:30 PM
Channel: CBS
Location: The New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Announcers: Gus Johnson, Len Elmore, Reggie Miller
The Southeast region has been treated to some outstanding games over the coarse of the tournament but I think there is no question that the best two teams are still standing at the end of it.
Butler needed a buzzer beater to beat Old Dominion in the first round, a foul 90 feet from the basket to upset Pittsburgh and some clutch defense and shooting down the stretch to get passed Wisconsin. However the Bulldogs are extremely experienced and they are the only team still standing from last year’s Final Four.
Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack both have really stepped up this year after the departure of Gordon Hayward to the NBA. If they advance to the Final Four it will be because of those two.
On the other side Florida has quietly been flying under the radar for most of the tournament. They blew out UCSB, survived a scare from UCLA and cancelled the Jimmer Show but not many people are talking about them as a possible championship contender but after watching them play I think they are extremely dangerous.
Prediction: Honestly I think this is a coin flip. I have counted both teams out a number of times in this tournament and they have both burned me. I think this one comes down to Howard. If he is able to out his stamp on the game the Bulldogs win.
That being said, I am picking Florida. They are the more talented team and I think they walk away as Southeast champs.
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