NCAA Tournament 2017: Butler, Xavier open up as underdogs for Sweet 16 games against North Carolina, Arizona

The Butler Bulldogs and Xavier Musketeers are representing the Big East Conference in the 2017 Sweet 16, but they’re going to have their hands full in their respective quests to make the Elite Eight.

Butler and Xavier will be facing the North Carolina Tar Heels and Arizona Wildcats later this week in Memphis and San Jose. UNC and UofA are two bona fide title contenders, and as such, they’ve both opened up as heavy favorites over the beloved teams from your favorite conference.

OddsShark has Xavier opening as an 8-point underdog vs. Arizona while Butler is a 7-point underdog to the Tar Heels. Since the lines opened, there’s been tiny shifts, as Xavier is between a 7- and 7.5-point favorite in some locations now while Butler’s line has shifted away from them, with UNC holding a 7.5-point edge as of now over the ‘Dawgs.

It may be worth noting that Butler is 20-13 ATS this season while the Musketeers are 17-18.