# 2022–23 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2022–23 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by Thad Matta, in the first year of his second stint 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 14–18, 6–14 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They were defeated by St. John's in the first round of the Big East tournament.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2021–22 season 14–19, 6–14 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They defeated Xavier in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing to Providence in the quarterfinals.
On April 1, 2022, the school fired head coach LaVall Jordan. Two days later, the school named Thad Matta the team's new head coach. Matta previously was the head coach at Ohio State and Xavier and was the head coach at Butler for the 2000–01 season.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Bo Hodges | 1 | G/F | 6'5" | 210 | RS Senior | Nashville, TN | Graduated |
| Aaron Thompson | 2 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Graduate Student | Glenn Dale, MD | Graduated |
| Bryce Nze | 10 | F | 6'7" | 235 | Graduate Student | Hartland, WI | Graduated |
| Jair Bolden | 52 | G | 6'3" | 220 | Graduate Student | Brooklyn, NY | Graduated |
| Christian David | 25 | F | 6'6" | 220 | RS Senior | Milton, ON | Graduated |
| Ty Groce | 4 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Graduate Student | Ypsilanti, MI | Graduated |
| Bryce Golden | 33 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Senior | Richmond, VA | Transferred to Loyola |
| Mike Parker | 30 | F | 6'6" | 210 | RS Junior | Wilmington, NC | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Eric Hunter Jr. | 2 | G | 6'4" | 170 | Graduate Student | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred from Purdue. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from Purdue. |
| Jalen Thomas | 1 | F/C | 6'10" | 230 | Senior | Detroit, MI | Transferred from Georgia State. Immediately eligible to play due to an NCAA ruling that all individuals who participate in winter sports in 2020–21 will have an extra year of eligibility, he will have two years of eligibility remaining instead of one. |
| Manny Bates | 15 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Graduate Student | Fayetteville, NC | Transferred from North Carolina State. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from North Carolina State. Will have two years of eligibility remaining. |
| Ali Ali | 24 | G/F | 6'8" | 205 | Senior | Kendallville, IN | Transferred from Akron. Immediately eligible to play due to an NCAA ruling that all individuals who participate in winter sports in 2020–21 will have an extra year of eligibility, he will have two years of eligibility remaining instead of one. |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Connor Turnbull C | O'Fallon, MO | Fort Zumwalt North High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 1, 2021 |
| 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: "ESPN – Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. ||||||

#### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2023) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Finley Bizjack SG | Trophy Club, TX | Byron Nelson High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 1, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Boden Kapke C | Victoria, MN | Holy Family Catholic High School | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Sep 10, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| 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: "ESPN – Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2022* 7:00 p.m. | | Tiffin | W 75–65 | – | 20 – Lukosius | 8 – Bates | 4 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,884) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 1, 2022* 7:00 p.m. | | Davenport | W 91–55 | – | 22 – Harris | 8 – Harris | 6 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,123) Indianapolis, IN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 7, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | New Orleans | W 89–53 | 1–0 | 25 – Bates | 11 – Bates | 5 – Lukosius | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,122) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 14, 2022* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Penn State Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 62–68 | 1–1 | 16 – Bates | 10 – Bates | 4 – Hunter Jr. | Bryce Jordan Center (6,762) University Park, PA |
| November 17, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS2 | | Saint Francis | W 95–67 | 2–1 | 22 – Harris | 6 – P. Thomas | 7 – Harris | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,255) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 19, 2022* 7:00 p.m., FS2 | | The Citadel | W 89–42 | 3–1 | 18 – Tied | 9 – Tied | 6 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,520) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 23, 2022* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 22 Tennessee Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinal | L 45–71 | 3–2 | 18 – Taylor | 6 – Hughes | 3 – Harris | Imperial Arena (890) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 24, 2022* 6:30 p.m., ESPN3 | | vs. BYU Battle 4 Atlantis consolation round | W 75–70 | 4–2 | 20 – Taylor | 6 – Lukosius | 4 – Bates | Imperial Arena (821) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 25, 2022* 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. NC State Battle 4 Atlantis 5th Place Game | L 61–76 | 4–3 | 20 – Harris | 9 – Bates | 4 – Lukosius | Imperial Arena (385) Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 30, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Kansas State Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 76–64 | 5–3 | 22 – Bates | 10 – Bates | 7 – Lukosius | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,660) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 3, 2022* 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | Tennessee Tech | W 80–66 | 6–3 | 32 – Harris | 7 – Lukosius | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,723) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 6, 2022* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Yale | W 71–61 | 7–3 | 22 – Bates | 7 – Bates | 4 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,042) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 10, 2022* 5:00 p.m., P12N | | at California | W 82–58 | 8–3 | 16 – Tied | 11 – Hunter Jr. | 5 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (2,040) Berkeley, CA |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 17, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 3 UConn | L 46–68 | 8–4 (0–1) | 16 – Bates | 6 – Harris | 3 – Bates | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,283) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 22, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Creighton | L 56–78 | 8–5 (0–2) | 14 – Harris | 5 – Tied | 3 – Harris | CHI Health Center Omaha (16,319) Omaha, NE |
| December 29, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Providence | L 52–72 | 8–6 (0–3) | 12 – Tied | 6 – J. Thomas | 4 – Harris | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,577) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 1, 2023 6:45 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 80–51 | 9–6 (1–3) | 24 – Taylor | 8 – Hunter Jr. | 5 – Tied | Capital One Arena (6,140) Washington D.C. |
| January 4, 2023 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | | DePaul | W 78–70 | 10̣–6 (2–3) | 23 – Hunter Jr. | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,015) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 7, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Seton Hall | L 51–76 | 10–7 (2–4) | 14 – Taylor | 8 – J. Thomas | 3 – Lukosius | Prudential Center (9,033) Newark, NJ |
| January 10, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at St. John's | L 61–77 | 10–8 (2–5) | 17 – Harris | 6 – J. Thomas | 4 – Ali | Carnesecca Arena (3,536) Queens, NY |
| January 13, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Villanova | W 79–71 | 11–8 (3–5) | 28 – Lukosius | 5 – J. Thomas | 7 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,688) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 17, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Creighton | L 52–73 | 11–9 (3–6) | 18 – Lukosius | 7 – J. Thomas | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,329) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 22, 2023 12:00 p.m., FOX | | at No. 15 UConn | L 56–86 | 11–10 (3–7) | 16 – Harris | 6 – Lukosius | 3 – Harris | XL Center (15,564) Hartford, CT |
| January 25, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 23 Providence | L 58–79 | 11–11 (3–8) | 12 – Hunter Jr. | 5 – Taylor | 3 – Harris | Amica Mutual Pavilion (10,869) Providence, RI |
| January 28, 2023 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | Seton Hall | L 49–70 | 11–12 (3–9) | 11 – Lukosius | 8 – J. Thomas | 2 – Lukosius | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 4, 2023 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 14 Marquette | L 52–60 | 11–13 (3–10) | 19 – Taylor | 7 – Taylor | 7 – Lukosius | Fiserv Forum (17,592) Milwaukee, WI |
| February 7, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | St. John's | W 68–66 | 12–13 (4–10) | 19 – Taylor | 8 – Ali | 5 – Lukosius | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,894) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 10, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 13 Xavier | W 69–67 | 13–13 (5–10) | 20 – Taylor | 6 – Taylor | 4 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,352) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 14, 2023 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Villanova | L 50–62 | 13–14 (5–11) | 20 – Taylor | 9 – Bates | 3 – Tied | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| February 19, 2023 3:00 p.m., FS1 | | Georgetown | L 62–68 | 13–15 (5–12) | 21 – Taylor | 8 – Hunter Jr. | 5 – Hunter Jr. | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,615) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 22, 2023 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at DePaul | W 59–58 | 14–15 (6–12) | 15 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 5 – Ali | Wintrust Arena (4,356) Chicago, IL |
| February 28, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 6 Marquette | L 56–72 | 14–16 (6–13) | 13 – Taylor | 8 – J. Thomas | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,511) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 4, 2023 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 19 Xavier | L 66–78 | 14–17 (6–14) | 16 – Taylor | 3 – Tied | 7 – Hunter Jr. | Cintas Center (10,398) Cincinnati, OH |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2023 3:00 p.m., FS1 | (9) | vs. (8) St. John's First round | L 63–76 | 14–18 | 23 – Lukosius | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time . |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.