Basketball Game Preview: North Mecklenburg Vikings vs. Butler Bulldogs

The North Mecklenburg Vikings will square off against the Butler Bulldogs on Friday. North Mecklenburg's defense has only allowed 28.5 points per game this season, so Butler's offense will have their work cut out for them.

North Mecklenburg is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Southeast Guilford 71-32. The Vikings have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 19 games by 22 points or more this season.

Meanwhile, Butler waltzed into their contest on Tuesday with three straight wins... but they left with four. They walked away with a 52-39 victory over the Mustangs. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 37th, while the Mustangs are ranked 160th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Butler's win was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 24-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 32.1 points. As for North Mecklenburg, they are on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 17 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 24-3 record this season.

North Mecklenburg came up short against Butler in their previous meeting back in December of 2018, falling 57-51. Can North Mecklenburg avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.