The ACC was the story of the day on the NCAA Tournament's first Saturday, as the conference moved to a perfect 9-0 in the big dance and sent three teams to the Sweet 16.
Half of the field for the Sweet 16 is set after a first Saturday of the NCAA Tournament which saw a No. 1 seed fall for the first time, and the ACC run its record to a perfect 9-0. The last of those two wins came from North Carolina and Notre Dame, which took care of Arkansas and Butler, respectively, to join conference brethren NC State in the second weekend of the big dance.
No. 4 North Carolina 87, No. 5 Arkansas 78 (West)
Marcus Paige looked like the player preseason prognosticators thought he would be for the entirety of the 2014-15 season, scoring a team-high 22 points as North Carolina knocked off Arkansas to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in three years.
Paige did the bulk of his damage after halftime, scoring 20 points and making Tar Heel fans forget all about his 1 for 8 shooting in the game's opening 20 minutes. Paige was also instrumental in dealing with Arkansas' trademark, which forced just six UNC turnovers and consistently allowed the Tar Heels to score easy fast break baskets.
The Razorbacks were led by Michael Qualls, who scored a game-high 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds. SEC Player of the Year Bobby Portis also posted a double-double with 18 points and 14 boards.
The Carolina victory was also significant for giving coach Roy Williams his 32nd NCAA Tournament victory with the Tar Heels, tying him with the late Dean Smith for the most in program history. UNC will face the winner of Wisconsin-Oregon next Thursday.
No. 3 Notre Dame 67, No. 6 Butler 64 (OT) (Midwest)
For the first time in 12 years, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are headed to the Sweet 16. Although it certainly didn't come easily.
After turning a 6-point second half deficit into a 3-point lead, the Irish failed to score a point in the final 3:17 of regulation. They never trailed in the extra five minutes however, as back-to-back three-pointers from Pat Connaughton and Steve Vasturia spurred them to a 67-62 victory.
Despite waiting until overtime to make his first and only field goal of the game, Connaughton felt like the hero for Notre Dame after swatting away Kellen Dunham's potential game-winning shot in the closing seconds of regulation. The senior guard also successfully calmed down his teammates after a costly double dribble by Zach Auguste had given the Bulldogs a final shot to win before overtime.
Despite playing with an injured left knee, Roosevelt Jones poured in 23 points for Butler, but ultimately it wasn't enough to keep Notre Dame from moving on to face either Kansas or Wichita State in the Midwest Regional semifinals next Thursday in Cleveland.
Here is a look at the complete bracket through the games on Saturday:
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