2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by LaVall Jordan, in his fourth year as head coach of his alma mater. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 10–15, 8–12 to finish in 10th place in Big East play. In the Big East tournament, they defeated Xavier in the first round[1] before losing to Creighton in the quarterfinals.[2]

2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Record10–15 (8–12 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Emerson Kampen (5th season)
  • Omar Lowery (4th season)
  • Will Vergollo (1st season)
Home arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
Seasons
2020–21 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 18 Villanova 11 4   .733 18 7   .720
No. 19 Creighton 14 6   .700 22 9   .710
UConn 11 6   .647 15 8   .652
St. John's 10 9   .526 16 11   .593
Seton Hall 10 9   .526 14 13   .519
Providence 9 10   .474 13 13   .500
Xavier 6 7   .462 13 8   .619
Georgetown 7 9   .438 13 13   .500
Marquette 8 11   .421 13 14   .481
Butler 8 12   .400 10 15   .400
DePaul 2 13   .133 5 14   .263
2021 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Bulldogs finished the 2019–20 season 23–9, 10–8 to finish in fifth place in Big East play. In the Big East tournament, they were scheduled to play Providence in the quarterfinals, but the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,[3] All remaining postseason tournaments were thereafter canceled, including the NCAA tournament, effectively ending the Bulldogs season.[4]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Derrik Smits 21 C 7'1" 235 Graduate Zionsville, IN Completed college eligibility[a]
Sean McDermott 22 G 6'6" 195 RS Senior Pendleton, IN Graduated
Henry Baddley 20 G/F 6'4" 185 Senior Wadsworth, OH Graduated
Kamar Baldwin 3 G 6'1" 190 Senior Winder, GA Graduated
Jordan Tucker 1 F 6'7" 220 Junior White Plains, NY Declared for NBA draft
Khalif Battle 4 G 6'5" 175 Freshman Edison, NJ Transferred to Temple
  1. ^ Smits was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Valparaiso in 2019.

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jair Bolden 52 G 6'3" 210 Graduate Brooklyn, NY Transferred from South Carolina. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from South Carolina. Due to an NCAA ruling that all individuals who participate in winter sports in 2020–21 will receive an extra year of eligibility, he will have two years of remaining eligibility instead of one.
Bo Hodges G 6'5" 210 RS Junior Nashville, TN Transferred from East Tennessee State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hodges will redshirt for the 2020–21 season and have one year of remaining eligibility.

Recruiting classes

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2020 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Chuck Harris
PG
Washington, D.C. Gonzaga High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) May 15, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Myles Wilmoth
PF
Spring Valley, NY St. Andrew's School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 3, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Myles Tate
PG
Roebuck, SC Dorman High School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Aug 5, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Carlos Johnson
SF
Benton Harbor, MI Benton Harbor High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 2, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jakobe Coles
PF
Denton, TX Guyer High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Oct 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Butler Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "ESPN- Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jayden Taylor
SG
Indianapolis, IN Perry Meridian High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 19, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Pierce Thomas
SF
Brownsburg, IN Brownsburg High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Feb 27, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
D.J. Hughes
PF
Indianapolis, IN Lawrence North High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jun 26, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

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2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 52 Jair Bolden 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS Westtown School (South Carolina) Brooklyn, NY
F 25 Christian David 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Vermont Academy Milton, Ontario
G 2 Aaron Thompson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Paul VI Catholic Glenn Dale, MD
F 10 Bryce Nze 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Arrowhead (Milwaukee) Hartland, WI
G 1 Bo Hodges 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Maplewood (East Tennessee State) Nashville, TN
G 0 Campbell Donovan (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr Bishop Dwenger Fort Wayne, IN
F 33 Bryce Golden 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr St. James School Winchester, VA
F 24 Markeese Hastings 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Godwin Heights Wyoming, MI
F 30 Mike Parker (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Coastal Christian Wilmington, NC
F/C 35 John-Michael Mulloy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Carmel Carmel, IN
G 3 Chuck Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Gonzaga College Washington, D.C.
F 5 Myles Wilmoth 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr St. Andrew's School Spring Valley, NY
F 11 Carlos Johnson     6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Benton Harbor Benton Harbor, MI
G 12 Myles Tate 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Dorman Roebuck, SC
F 21 JaKobe Coles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Guyer Denton, TX
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 2, 2020[5]

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020*
6:00 p.m., FS1
Western Michigan W 66–62[6]  1–0
 21  Thompson   9  Bolden   4  Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,500)
Indianapolis, IN
November 29, 2020*
6:30 p.m., FS1
Eastern Illinois Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 6, 2020*
7:00 p.m., FS1
Northern Kentucky Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 11, 2020*
3:00 p.m., FS1
Kansas State
Big East–Big 12 Alliance
Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 14, 2020
5:00 p.m., FS1
St. John's Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 16, 2020
7:00 p.m., FS1
at No. 7 Villanova L 66–85[7]  1–1
(0–1)
 18  Bolden   8  Nze   6  Thompson  Finneran Pavilion 
Villanova, PA
December 19, 2020*
11:30 a.m., FS1
vs. Indiana
Crossroads Classic
L 60–68[8]  1–2
 20  Bolden   10  Nze   3  Tied  Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
December 21, 2020*
7:30 p.m., FS1
Southern Illinois L 73–76[9]  1–3
 22  Harris   11  Nze   6  Harris  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,412)
Indianapolis, IN
December 23, 2020
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Providence W 70–64[10]  2–3
(1–1)
 14  Coles   8  Tate   7  Tate  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,724)
Indianapolis, IN
December 30, 2020
5:00 p.m., FS1
at Providence L 55–71[11]  2–4
(1–2)
 15  Bolden   6  Tied   4  Tate  Dunkin' Donuts Center 
Providence, RI
January 2, 2021
4:30 p.m., FS1
at Seton Hall L 60–68[12]  2–5
(1–3)
 22  Tate   6  Nze   5  Tate  Prudential Center 
Newark, NJ
January 6, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1
Georgetown W 63–55 [13]  3–5
(2–3)
 18  Harris   7  Hastings   5  Harris  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,355)
Indianapolis, IN
January 9, 2021
4:00 p.m., FS1
UConn L 60–72[14]  3–6
(2–4)
 18  Nze   6  Nze   6  Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,879)
Indianapolis, IN
January 12, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1
at St. John's L 57–69[15]  3–7
(2–5)
 17  Bolden   14  Nze   5  Nze  Carnesecca Arena 
Queens, NY
January 16, 2021
2:00 p.m., FOX
No. 8 Creighton W 70–66[16] OT 4–7
(3–5)
 17  Thompson   10  Tate   6  Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,693)
Indianapolis, IN
January 19, 2021
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
at DePaul W 67–53[17]  5–7
(4–5)
 21  Bolden   14  Nze   4  Tied  Wintrust Arena 
Chicago, IL
January 22, 2021
9:00 p.m., FS1
Seton Hall Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic Hinkle Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
January 26, 2021
8:30 p.m., FS1
at UConn L 51–63[18]  5–8
(4–6)
 19  Golden   9  Nze   3  Nze  Harry A. Gampel Pavilion 
Storrs, CT
January 29, 2021
5:30 p.m., FS1
Xavier L 55–68[19]  5–9
(4–7)
 16  Nze   11  Nze   2  3 Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,084)
Indianapolis, IN
February 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., FS1
at Marquette L 67–70[20]  5–10
(4–8)
 16  Harris   12  Hodges   8  Hodges  Fiserv Forum 
Milwaukee, WI
February 6, 2021
12:00 p.m., FS1
DePaul W 68–58[21]  6–10
(5–8)
 22  Tied   10  Hodges   5  Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,715)
Indianapolis, IN
February 9, 2021
9:00 p.m., FS1
St. John's W 76–73[22] OT 7–10
(6–8)
 19  Nze   10  Nze   10  Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,416)
Indianapolis, IN
February 13, 2021
1:30 p.m., CBSSN
at Georgetown L 63–78[23]  7–11
(6–9)
 12  3 Tied   5  Hodges   11  Thompson  Capital One Arena 
Washington, D.C.
February 17, 2021
6:30 p.m., FS1
Marquette L 57–73[24]  7–12
(6–10)
 21  Harris   5  Harris   3  Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,389)
Indianapolis, IN
February 21, 2021
7:00 p.m., FS1
at Xavier L 51–63[25]  7–13
(6–11)
 14  Harris   12  Golden   6  Harris  Cintas Center (922)
Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2021
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
Seton Hall W 61–52[26]  8–13
(7–11)
 16  Bolden   13  Nze   5  Harris  Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,524)
Indianapolis, IN
February 28, 2021
12:00 p.m., CBS
No. 8 Villanova W 73–61[27]  9–13
(8–11)
 20  Harris   11  Nze   5  Nze  Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,203)
Indianapolis, IN
March 6, 2021
5:00 p.m., FOX
at No. 14 Creighton L 73–93[28]  9–14
(8–12)
 29  Harris   6  Tied   4  Tied  CHI Health Center Omaha (2,419)
Omaha, NE
Big East tournament
March 10, 2021
9:00 p.m., FS1
(10) vs. (7) Xavier
First round
W 70–69[29]  10–14
 21  Harris   9  Golden   3  Tate  Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
March 11, 2021
6:00 p.m., FS1
(10) vs. (2) No. 17 Creighton
Quarterfinal
L 56–87[30]  10–15
 21  Nze   6  Nze   3  Nze  Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time [31].

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP
Coaches

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

Awards

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Name Award(s)

References

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  1. ^ "Harris sinks game-winning FTs, Butler ousts Xavier in OT". AP. CBS Sports. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "McDermott, No. 17 Creighton rout Butler 87-56 in Big East". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  3. ^ West, Jenna. "Big East Cancels Tournament Over Coronavirus". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "2020-21 Men's Basketball Roster". Butlersports.com. Butler University. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "Western Michigan vs. Butler Box Score, November 25, 2020".
  7. ^ "Butler vs. Villanova Box Score, December 16, 2020".
  8. ^ "Butler vs. Indiana Box Score, December 19, 2020".
  9. ^ "Southern Illinois vs. Butler Box Score, December 21, 2020".
  10. ^ "Providence vs. Butler Box Score, December 23, 2020".
  11. ^ "Butler vs. Providence Box Score, December 30, 2020".
  12. ^ "Butler vs. Seton Hall Box Score, January 2, 2021".
  13. ^ "Georgetown vs. Butler Box Score, January 6, 2021".
  14. ^ "Connecticut vs. Butler Box Score, January 9, 2021".
  15. ^ "Butler vs. St. John's (NY) Box Score, January 12, 2021".
  16. ^ "Creighton vs. Butler Box Score, January 16, 2021".
  17. ^ "Butler vs. DePaul Box Score, January 19, 2021".
  18. ^ "Butler vs. Connecticut Box Score, January 26, 2021".
  19. ^ "Xavier vs. Butler Box Score, January 30, 2021".
  20. ^ "Butler vs. Marquette Box Score, February 2, 2021".
  21. ^ "DePaul vs. Butler Box Score, February 6, 2021".
  22. ^ "St. John's (NY) vs. Butler Box Score, February 9, 2021".
  23. ^ "Butler vs. Georgetown Box Score, February 13, 2021".
  24. ^ "Marquette vs. Butler Box Score, February 17, 2021".
  25. ^ "Butler vs. Xavier Box Score, February 21, 2021".
  26. ^ "Seton Hall vs. Butler Box Score, February 24, 2021".
  27. ^ "Villanova vs. Butler Box Score, February 28, 2021".
  28. ^ "Butler vs. Creighton Box Score, March 6, 2021".
  29. ^ "Butler vs. Xavier Box Score, March 10, 2021".
  30. ^ "Butler vs. Creighton Box Score, March 11, 2021".
  31. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule".