# 2016–17 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, in his third year. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse and were members of the Big East Conference. They finished the regular season 25–9, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in second place. They lost to Xavier in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed in the South Region. They defeated Winthrop and Middle Tennessee to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to eventual National Champion North Carolina.
On June 9, 2017, head coach Chris Holtmann left to become the head coach at Ohio State. On June 12, the school hired Milwaukee head coach and Butler alum LaVall Jordan as head coach.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 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.

## Off season

Prior to the season, Butler was picked to finish sixth in a poll of Big East coaches. Kelan Martin was named to the preseason All-Big East first team.

### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Kellen Dunham | 24 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Senior | Pendleton, IN | Graduated |
| Austin Etherington | 0 | F | 6'6" | 220 | RS Senior | Cicero, IN | Graduated |
| Jordan Gathers | 5 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Woodland Hills, CA | Graduated |
| Roosevelt Jones | 21 | G/F | 6'4" | 225 | RS Senior | O'Fallon, IL | Graduated |
| Jackson Davis | 13 | F | 6'8" | 233 | Sophomore | Lexington, KY | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky |

### 2016 recruiting class

Butler originally signed four recruits in its 2016 class which was hailed as the best recruiting class in Butler history. However, three star point guard, Howard Washington, Jr., and Butler mutually agreed to part ways in April 2016. The class is currently ranked as 45th best in the country by 247Sports.com.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Joey Brunk Center | Indianapolis, IN | Southport High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Jun 14, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Kamar Baldwin Point guard | Winder, GA | Apalachee High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Aug 6, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Henry Baddley Small forward | Akron, OH | St. Vincent–St. Mary High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 6, 2015 |
| 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: "2016 Butler Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2016". Scout.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2016". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 9, 2016. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Avery Woodson | 0 | G | 6'2" | 190 | Senior | Waynesboro, MS | Transferred from Memphis. Will be immediately eligible to play as he graduated from Memphis. |
| Paul Jorgensen | – | G | 6'2" | 185 | Sophomore | New City, NY | Transferred from George Washington. Under NCAA transfer rules, Jorgensen will have to redshirt for the 2016–17 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 29, 2016* 2:00 p.m., WISH-TV | | Wabash | W 100–53 | – | 17 – Martin | 5 – Tied | 6 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,952) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 5, 2016* 7:00 p.m., WISH-TV | | Saginaw Valley State | W 77–50 | – | 15 – Martin | 12 – Wideman | 3 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Non-conference Regular Season |||||||||
| Nov 12, 2016* 7:30 p.m., FS2 | | Northern Colorado | W 89–52 | 1–0 | 21 – Martin | 6 – Martin | 5 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,836) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 16, 2016* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Northwestern Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 70–68 | 2–0 | 22 – Martin | 7 – Chrabascz | 3 – Baldwin | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,858) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 19, 2016* 1:00 p.m., FSN | | Bucknell Las Vegas Invitational | W 86–60 | 3–0 | 14 – Tied | 6 – Martin | 7 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,236) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 21, 2016* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Norfolk State Las Vegas Invitational | W 91–55 | 4–0 | 17 – Fowler | 7 – Fowler | 8 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,593) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 24, 2016* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | vs. Vanderbilt Las Vegas Invitational semifinals | W 76–66 | 5–0 | 15 – Lewis | 10 – Chrabascz | 4 – Lewis | Orleans Arena (2,537) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 25, 2016* 10:30 p.m., FS1 | | vs. No. 8 Arizona Las Vegas Invitational championship | W 69–65 | 6–0 | 16 – Martin | 8 – Wideman | 6 – Lewis | Orleans Arena (3,000) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 28, 2016* 9:00 p.m., P12N | No. 18 | at Utah | W 68–59 | 7–0 | 18 – Martin | 5 – Wideman | 6 – Lewis | Huntsman Center (14,332) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Dec 3, 2016* 4:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 18 | Central Arkansas | W 82–58 | 8–0 | 30 – Martin | 10 – Wideman | 6 – Savage | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,117) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 7, 2016* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3 | No. 16 | at Indiana State | L 71–72 | 8–1 | 18 – Chrabascz | 7 – Chrabascz | 7 – Lewis | Hulman Center (5,559) Terre Haute, IN |
| Dec 10, 2016* 4:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 16 | No. 22 Cincinnati | W 75–65 | 9–1 | 20 – Martin | 7 – Baldwin | 5 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,176) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 17, 2016* 5:00 p.m., BTN | No. 18 | vs. No. 9 Indiana Crossroads Classic | W 83–78 | 10–1 | 28 – Martin | 5 – Baldwin | 6 – Lewis | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,684) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 21, 2016* 7:00 p.m., FSN | No. 13 | Vermont | W 81–69 | 11–1 | 28 – Chrabascz | 8 – Martin | 7 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,898) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East Conference Play |||||||||
| Dec 29, 2016 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | at St. John's | L 73–76 | 11–2 (0–1) | 20 – Wideman | 9 – Tied | 4 – Chrabascz | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| Jan 1, 2017 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 13 | Providence | W 78–61 | 12–2 (1–1) | 15 – Martin | 8 – Martin | 4 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,403) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 4, 2017 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 18 | No. 1 Villanova | W 66–58 | 13–2 (2–1) | 13 – Tied | 7 – Chrabascz | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,206) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 7, 2017 12:10 p.m., FOX | No. 18 | at Georgetown | W 85–76 $^{OT}$ | 14–2 (3–1) | 16 – Baldwin | 10 – Martin | 3 – Savage | Verizon Center (8,273) Washington, D.C. |
| Jan 11, 2017 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 12 | at No. 8 Creighton | L 64–75 | 14–3 (3–2) | 14 – Woodson | 6 – Chrabascz | 3 – Tied | CenturyLink Center Omaha (18,032) Omaha, NE |
| Jan 14, 2017 2:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 12 | No. 15 Xavier | W 83–78 | 15–3 (4–2) | 21 – Baldwin | 9 – Baldwin | 2 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,166) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 16, 2017 Noon, FS1 | No. 13 | Marquette MLK Day Marathon | W 88–80 | 16–3 (5–2) | 22 – Martin | 7 – Martin | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 21, 2017 2:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 13 | at DePaul | W 70–69 $^{OT}$ | 17–3 (6–2) | 20 – Savage | 8 – Wideman | 2 – Tied | Allstate Arena (6,713) Rosemont, IL |
| Jan 25, 2017 8:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 11 | at Seton Hall | W 61–54 | 18–3 (7–2) | 16 – Chrabascz | 11 – Martin | 2 – Tied | Prudential Center (7,009) Newark, NJ |
| Jan 28, 2017 8:10 p.m., CBSSN | No. 11 | Georgetown | L 81–85 | 18–4 (7–3) | 22 – Martin | 4 – Tied | 5 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,116) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 31, 2017 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 16 | No. 22 Creighton | L 67–76 | 18–5 (7–4) | 14 – Baldwin | 8 – Martin | 4 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 7, 2017 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | at Marquette | W 68–65 | 19–5 (8–4) | 21 – Chrabascz | 7 – Wideman | 5 – Lewis | BMO Harris Bradley Center (12,423) Milwaukee, WI |
| Feb 11, 2017 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 22 | at Providence | L 65–71 | 19–6 (8–5) | 19 – Fowler | 11 – Baldwin | 4 – Chrabascz | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,746) Providence, RI |
| Feb 15, 2017 8:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | St. John's | W 110–86 | 20–6 (9–5) | 20 – Tied | 10 – Wideman | 9 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,719) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 19, 2017 1:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 24 | DePaul | W 82–66 | 21–6 (10–5) | 15 – Fowler | 8 – Martin | 8 – Lewis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 22, 2017 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | at No. 2 Villanova | W 74–66 | 22–6 (11–5) | 22 – Martin | 8 – Martin | 8 – Chrabascz | The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA |
| Feb 26, 2017 3:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | at Xavier | W 88–79 | 23–6 (12–5) | 25 – Martin | 7 – Martin | 6 – Chrabascz | Cintas Center (10,312) Cincinnati, OH |
| Mar 4, 2017 2:30 p.m., FOX | No. 13 | Seton Hall | L 64–70 | 23–7 (12–6) | 19 – Martin | 6 – Martin | 5 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 9, 2017 7:00 p.m., FS1 | (2) No. 18 | vs. (7) Xavier Quarterfinals | L 57–62 | 23–8 | 15 – Martin | 5 – Chrabascz | 2 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (16,003) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2017* 1:30 p.m., TNT | (4 S) No. 21 | vs. (13 S) Winthrop First Round | W 76–64 | 24–8 | 18 – Woodson | 8 – Martin | 8 – Lewis | BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,025) Milwaukee, WI |
| Mar 18, 2017* 7:30 p.m., TBS | (4 S) No. 21 | vs. (12 S) Middle Tennessee Second Round | W 74–65 | 25–8 | 19 – Martin | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,045) Milwaukee, WI |
| Mar 24, 2017* 7:09 p.m., CBS | (4 S) No. 21 | vs. (1 S) No. 5 North Carolina Sweet Sixteen | L 80–92 | 25–9 | 21 – Chrabascz | 7 – Chrabascz | 4 – Chrabascz | FedEx Forum (16,397) Memphis, Tennessee |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 16 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 13 | 18 | 21 | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 18 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 19 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

## Awards

| Name | Award(s) |
| Kamar Baldwin | Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team Big East Freshman of the Week – Dec. 12-18 Big East Freshman of the Week – Jan. 15-22 Big East All-Freshman Team |
| Andrew Chrabascz | Las Vegas Invitational Most Outstanding Player All-Big East First Team |
| Kelan Martin | Preseason All-Big East First Team Las Vegas Invitational All-Tournament Team Lute Olson Award National Player of the Week Big East Player of the Week – Dec. 12-18 Big East Player of the Week – Feb. 20-26 All-Big East Second Team |