Butler Bulldogs
Big East (21-10, 10-8)
For a while it looked like Butler was going to be one of the better teams in the country. Their nonconference slate included wins over Temple, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Purdue. They were ranked as high as ninth in the AP poll at one point during the season. But then the Big East happened and the Bulldogs fell back to mediocrity. There were really went many bad losses in a pretty good Big East, but Butler did not get many big wins either.
Big Wins: 12/2 at Cincinnati (78-76), 12/1 vs Purdue (74-68), 2/10 at Seton Hall (81-75)
Bad Losses: 12/31 Providence (73-81), 1/23 at Creighton (64-72), 1/30 at Marquette (69-75)
Coach: Chris Holtmann
Why They Can Surprise:
This is Butler. They take care of the ball, take smart shots and play solid defense. Tyler Lewis came in from North Carolina State was expected to take over the starting point guard duties. He may not start, but he is a great pass first point guard who will setup the scorers on the team. When Lewis is not on the floor, this is a huge Butler team. The backcourt basically consists of 6-6 Kellen Dunham, 6-6 Kelan Martin and 6-4 Roosevelt, although technically Martin and Jones are listed as forwards. Dunham is the team’s top outside shooter and Martin is very dangerous beyond the arc too. Together those two average 32.2 points per game. Jones can do everything except shoot. He is listed as a 6-4 forward for a reason since he spends his time driving to the basket and is a beast on the glass. But he can also play the role of a point forward and leads the team with 4.7 assists per game on top of his 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Even the more traditional forwards can pass. Andrew Chrabascz dishes out about two assists per game and can be a decent shooter too, although he has struggled with his shot this season. Tyler Wideman, a 6-8, 246 pound sophomore, is the rim protector, but in general this team has been lacking defensively compared to year’s past and part of the problem is the frontcourt and the lack of depth. Wideman will only play 25 minutes per game or so and when he is on the bench, there is nobody left to block shots. Austin Etherington is not any bigger than the guards, so Coach Chris Holtmann will often slide one of the “guards” to the four spot. That still makes this a pretty big team that can compete physically with the best in the country, but it takes away their size advantage on the perimeter.
Probable Starters:
Kellen Dunham, Senior, Guard, 16.3 ppg, 1.5 apg
Kelan Martin, Sophomore, Forward, 16.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg
Roosevelt Jones, Senior, Forward, 14.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.5 spg
Tyler Wideman, Sophomore, Forward, 7.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Andrew Chrabascz, Junior, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2 apg
Key Roleplayers:
Austin Etherington, Senior, Forward, 3.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Jordan Gathers, Senior, Guard, 4.3 ppg, 1.2 apg
Tyler Lewis, Junior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 3.0 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.3 (17th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 71.1 (157, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.9 (43, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.7 (130, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.0 (170, 5)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.3 (32, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.0 (56, 5)
Rebound Margin: 3.5 (69, 3)
Assists Per Game: 14.5 (102, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.2 (12, 1)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2015 NCAA Second Round win over Texas
2015 NCAA Third Round loss to Notre Dame
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Bucknell
2013 NCAA Third Round loss to Marquette
2012 CBI First Round win over Delaware
2012 CBI Quarterfinal win over Pennsylvania
2012 CBI Semifinal loss to Pittsburgh
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Old Dominion
2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Pittsburg
2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2011 NCAA Regional Final win over Florida
2011 NCAA National Semifinal win over VCU
2011 NCAA National Final loss to Connecticut
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over UTEP
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Murray State
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Syracuse
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Kansas State
2010 NCAA National Semifinal win over Michigan State
2010 NCAA National Final loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to LSU
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over South Alabama
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Tennessee
2007 NCAA Round of 64 win over Old Dominion
2007 NCAA Round of 32 win over Maryland
2007 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Florida
*all team stats through 3/6
