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No. 7 Arkansas and No. 10 Butler are in Detroit for a 2:10 p.m. (CDT) tip in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Basketball Tournament (truTV).
The Razorbacks (23-11, 10-8 SEC) were most recently knocked out of the SEC Tournament by eventual 3-seed Tennessee. This is the 32nd NCAA Tournament appearance for a program that boasts the 1994 national championship, two total championship game appearances and six Final Four appearances.
"It's a great matchup, and all teams in this tournament are very, very good," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "The biggest key is just have a calmness about any situation, any adversity you're going to face. Just have a calmness about it."
The Razorbacks are led by senior guards Daryl Macon (17.1 points, 4.0 assists per game), Jaylen Barford (17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds per game) and freshman big man Daniel Gafford (12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds). Arkansas shoots 40.0 percent from 3-point range this season, good enough for 14th nationally.
Arkansas' biggest Achilles heel this season has been poor free throw shooting. Butler shoots nearly 10 points higher than Arkansas at the line, 77.1 percent to 67.8 percent. The Razorbacks played 11 NCAA Tournament teams this season and went 8-8 in those contests.
"We've been playing a great schedule all year. I think we're well-prepared for the tournament," Barford said. "I think it's going to be fun, and we're ready to play."
This is the 16th NCAA Tournament appearance for Butler (20-13, 9-9 Big East), which is most well-known for their back-to-back NCAA Championship Game appearances in 2010 and 2011 under former coach Brad Stevens. The Bulldogs lost to Duke 61-59 in 2010 and lost to UConn 53-41 in 2011.
This is the fourth-straight year Butler has made it to the NCAA Tournament. Had the Razorbacks pulled off the upset over North Carolina in the round of 32 in 2017, the Hogs would have met Butler in last year’s Sweet 16. Butler was a 4-seed in 2017, and UNC went on to win the national championship.
Though not as senior-heavy as Arkansas, Butler is a veteran team that has been to four-straight NCAA Tournaments. They are led by senior forward Kelan Martin, 6-7, 220. Martin averages 21.2 points and 6.4 rebounds and averages 35 minutes per game. He is effective inside and out (37.0 percent from 3-point range) and is a great free throw shooter (85.8 percent).
"We're just going to go out there and play our brand on basketball," Macon said. "We pride ourselves on making the other team turn the ball over. I don't think the Big East has a team like us that pressures and speeds the other team up. It'll be a good game."
Butler ophomore guard Kamar Baldwin (15.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game) went for 32 points two games ago in a 75-74 win over Seton Hall in the conference tournament. The Bulldogs are coming off an 87-68 loss to No. 1 seed Villanova in the Big East Conference Tournament.
Butler is also well-known for historic Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100 cap.), but this one will be played in Little Caesar's Arena (20,491 cap.) in Detroit. Hinkle Fieldhouse opened 90 years ago in 1928 while Little Caesar's Arena opened 161 days ago.
The winner of today's game will face the winner of No. 2 Purdue and No. 15 Cal State Fullerton.
