# 2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, serving his second year. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 9,100. This was Butler's third season in the Big East Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to Providence. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Texas Tech in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Virginia.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 23–11, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in a tie for second place. Butler received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a #6 seed and defeated Texas in the second round before losing in the Third Round to Notre Dame.

## Off season

With starting point guard Alex Barlow graduating in May 2015, Butler needed to add some depth in the guard position to back up Kellen Dunham and Tyler Lewis, who will be coming off of a redshirt season in 2014–15 due to transfer rules. On March 29, 2015, Jordan Gathers, a 6'3" combo guard from St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Conference announced his commitment to Butler after sitting out a season due to a hip injury. Barely a week and a half later, Butler gained another transfer from the Atlantic 10, this time in Kethan Savage from George Washington University. Savage, a 6'3" guard, will have to sit out a year per NCAA transfer regulations and will be available for the 2016–17 season. Gathers completed his degree at St. Bonaventure in three and a half years and therefore is immediately eligible to play.
There were also some changes in the coaching staff in the off season. On April 27, Butler announced the hire of Ryan Pedon, former assistant to Illinois head coach (and former Butler assistant) John Groce, as an assistant coach. Emerson Kampen, who was promoted to an assistant coaching position following Chris Holtmann's appointment as interim HC, was named Butler's new basketball analyst for the 2014-15 season.
Another major change occurred in August when it was announced that the playing surface in Hinkle Fieldhouse — the oldest playing surface still in use in the NCAA — was being sanded down to prepare for the new Bulldog logo at center court. The new design does not include the word "Butler" underneath the bulldog, and replaces the word "Bulldogs" on both end lines with "Butler." Also, the home sideline will have "Hinkle Fieldhouse" painted on it.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jackson Aldridge | 11 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Senior | Lane Cove, Australia | Graduated |
| Alex Barlow | 3 | G | 5'11" | 185 | Senior | Springboro, OH | Graduated |
| Kameron Woods | 31 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Senior | Middletown, KY | Graduated |

### 2015 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Nate Fowler Center | Cincinnati, OH | Archbishop Moeller HS | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | May 27, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Sean McDermott Shooting Guard | Pendleton, IN | Pendleton Heights HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 30, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Jordan Gathers Shooting Guard (Transfer) | Woodland Hills, CA | William Howard Taft HS / St. Bonaventure | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Mar 29, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Kethan Savage Shooting Guard (Transfer) | Alexandria, VA | Episcopal HS / George Washington | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | Apr 11, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| 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: "2015 Butler Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 18, 2015. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2015". Scout.com. Retrieved April 18, 2015. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2015". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 18, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 18, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 18, 2015. ||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 31, 2015* 2:00 pm, WISH-TV | No. 24 | Taylor | W 79–44 | | 14 – Tied | 11 – Wideman | 3 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,892) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 7, 2015* 7:00 pm, WISH-TV | No. 24 | Saint Joseph's | W 106–66 | | 19 – Jones | 11 – Davis | 8 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,960) Indianapolis, IN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 14, 2015* 7:30 pm, FS2 | No. 24 | The Citadel | W 144–71 | 1–0 | 24 – Dunham | 11 – Jones | 8 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,440) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 19, 2015* 1:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 22 | vs. Missouri State Puerto Rico Tip-Off Quarterfinals | W 93–59 | 2–0 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Jones | 10 – Lewis | Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,601) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 20, 2015* 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | vs. Temple Puerto Rico Tip-Off Semifinals | W 74–69 | 3–0 | 16 – Tied | 11 – Jones | 5 – Dunham | Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,814) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 22, 2015* 7:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | vs. Miami (FL) Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship | L 75–85 | 3–1 | 23 – Dunham | 10 – Wideman | 5 – Jones | Roberto Clemente Coliseum (5,309) San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| Nov 28, 2015* 5:00 pm, FS2 | | SIU Edwardsville | W 89–73 | 4–1 | 32 – Dunham | 6 – Tied | 11 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,026) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 2, 2015* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at No. 17 Cincinnati | W 78–76 | 5–1 | 24 – Dunham | 9 – Wideman | 4 – Lewis | Fifth Third Arena (11,125) Cincinnati, OH |
| Dec 5, 2015* 12:00 pm, FS1 | | Indiana State | W 85–71 | 6–1 | 24 – Martin | 8 – Jones | 7 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,142) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 7, 2015* 7:00 pm, FSN | No. 18 | VMI | W 93–66 | 7–1 | 20 – Martin | 8 – Tied | 5 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,202) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 12, 2015* 2:30 pm, FS1 | No. 18 | Tennessee | W 94–86 | 8–1 | 25 – Martin | 11 – Martin | 10 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 19, 2015* 5:00 pm, BTN | No. 17 | vs. No. 9 Purdue Crossroads Classic | W 74–68 | 9–1 | 19 – Jones | 11 – Jones | 5 – Jones | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (19,156) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 22, 2015* 8:30 pm, FS2 | No. 9 | Southern Utah | W 88–52 | 10–1 | 15 – Wideman | 10 – Jones | 8 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,128) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 28, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS2 | No. 9 | IUPUI | W 92–54 | 11–1 | 19 – Martin | 6 – Tied | 7 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,210) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East Conference Play |||||||||
| Dec 31, 2015 2:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 9 | No. 12 Providence | L 73–81 | 11–2 (0–1) | 20 – Martin | 9 – Martin | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 2, 2016 1:00 pm, FS1 | No. 9 | at No. 6 Xavier Big East New Year's Marathon | L 69–88 | 11–3 (0–2) | 14 – Jones | 7 – Martin | 6 – Jones | Cintas Center (10,498) Cincinnati, OH |
| Jan 5, 2016 8:00 pm, FSN | No. 18 | at DePaul | W 77–72 | 12–3 (1–2) | 24 – Dunham | 5 – Wideman | 7 – Lewis | Allstate Arena (5,427) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 10, 2015 7:30 pm, FS1 | No. 18 | No. 11 Villanova | L 55–60 | 12–4 (1–3) | 20 – Jones | 6 – Wideman | 3 – Wideman | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 16, 2016 Noon, FS1 | No. 23 | St. John's | W 78–58 | 13–4 (2–3) | 24 – Dunham | 10 – Martin | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 19, 2016 6:30 pm, FS1 | No. 18 | at No. 16 Providence | L 68–71 | 13–5 (2–4) | 21 – Dunham | 11 – Martin | 5 – Jones | Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,918) Providence, RI |
| Jan 23, 2016 7:30 pm, FS1 | No. 18 | at Creighton | L 64–72 | 13–6 (2–5) | 22 – Martin | 11 – Martin | 4 – Jones | CenturyLink Center (17,677) Omaha, NE |
| Jan 27, 2016 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | DePaul | W 67–53 | 14–6 (3–5) | 23 – Jones | 9 – Wideman | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,611) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 30, 2016 Noon, FS1 | | at Marquette | L 69–75 | 14–7 (3–6) | 27 – Martin | 8 – Wideman | 6 – Jones | BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,234) Milwaukee, WI |
| Feb 2, 2016 7:00 pm, FS1 | | Georgetown | W 87–76 | 15–7 (4–6) | 35 – Martin | 9 – Chrabascz | 5 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,080) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 6, 2016 4:30 pm, FSN | | at St. John's | W 89–56 | 16–7 (5–6) | 18 – Martin | 14 – Jones | 10 – Jones | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| Feb 10, 2016 6:30 pm, FS1 | | at Seton Hall | W 81–75 | 17–7 (6–6) | 23 – Martin | 10 – Martin | 6 – Chrabascz | Prudential Center (7,476) Newark, NJ |
| Feb 13, 2016 2:30 pm, FOX | | No. 5 Xavier | L 57–74 | 17–8 (6–7) | 15 – Martin | 12 – Martin | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,344) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 16, 2016 7:00 pm, FS1 | | Creighton | W 88–75 | 18–8 (7–7) | 21 – Martin | 8 – Martin | 6 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,330) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 20, 2016 2:30 pm, FOX | | at No. 1 Villanova | L 67–77 | 18–9 (7–8) | 19 – Martin | 8 – Dunham | 3 – Wideman | The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA |
| Feb 27, 2016 Noon, CBS | | at Georgetown | W 90–87 $^{OT}$ | 19–9 (8–8) | 29 – Dunham | 8 – Wideman | 4 – Chrabascz | Verizon Center (10,142) Washington, D.C. |
| Mar 2, 2016 8:30 pm, FS1 | | Seton Hall | W 85–78 | 20–9 (9–8) | 22 – Dunham | 9 – Martin | 5 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,392) Indianapolis, IN |
| Mar 5, 2016 2:30 pm, FSN | | Marquette | W 95–74 | 21–9 (10–8) | 18 – Etherington | 9 – Martin | 6 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,244) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 10, 2016 2:30 pm, FS1 | (5) | vs. (4) Providence Quarterfinals | L 60–74 | 21–10 | 17 – Dunham | 10 – Martin | 5 – Jones | Madison Square Garden (14,863) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 17, 2016* 12:40 pm, truTV | (9 MW) | vs. (8 MW) Texas Tech First Round | W 71–61 | 22–10 | 23 – Dunham | 8 – Jones | 6 – Jones | PNC Arena (19,722) Raleigh, NC |
| Mar 19, 2016* 7:10 pm, TBS | (9 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 4 Virginia Second Round | L 69–77 | 22–11 | 25 – Chrabascz | 5 – Tied | 2 – Tied | PNC Arena (19,433) Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Post | Final |
| AP | 24 | 24 | 22 | RV | RV | 18 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 23 | 18 | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | RV | N/A |
| Coaches | 22 | 22 | 20 | RV | 25 | 21 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 19 | 23 | 24 | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | RV | RV |

### Awards

| Name | Award(s) |
| Kellen Dunham | Preseason All-Big East First Team Big East Player of the Week – Nov. 29–Dec.5 All-Big East Honorable Mention Big East Sportsmanship Award Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year |
| Roosevelt Jones | Preseason All-Big East First Team Puerto Rico Tip-Off All-Tournament Team Big East Player of the Week – Dec. 13–19 CBS Sports National Player of the Week – Week 13 All-Big East Second Team |
| Kelan Martin | Big East Player of the Week – Dec. 6–12 Big East Player of the Week – Jan. 31–Feb. 6 All-Big East Second Team |