# 2021–22 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by LaVall Jordan, in his fifth 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 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.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulldogs finished the 2020–21 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 before losing to Creighton in the quarterfinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Campbell Donovan | 0 | G | 5'11" | 185 | RS Senior | Fort Wayne, IN | Graduated; chose not to take advantage of the NCAA's blanket COVID-19 eligibility waiver |
| Markeese Hastings | 24 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Sophomore | Wyoming, MI | Transferred to Western Michigan |
| Jakobe Coles | 21 | F | 6'7" | 225 | Freshman | Denton, TX | Transferred to TCU |
| Carlos Johnson | 11 | F | 6'6" | 230 | RS Freshman | Benton Harbor, MI | Dismissed and unenrolled |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Ty Groce | 4 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Graduate Student | Ypsilanti, MI | Transferred from Eastern Michigan. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from Eastern Michigan. Despite having played four full seasons previously, 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 one year of eligibility remaining. |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| DJ Hughes PF | Indianapolis, IN | Lawrence North High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jun 26, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Simas Lukosius G/F | Kaunas, Lithuania | Vilnius Minties Gymnasium | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Aug 31, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A 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. ||||||

#### 2022 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2022) :
| 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. |||||||

## Schedule and results

* Date time, TV Rank$^#$ Opponent$^#$ Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance) city, state Exhibition October 30, 2021* 2:00 p.m. Tiffin W 94–84  –  25 – Taylor 10 – Nze 10 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,458) Indianapolis, IN November 5, 2021* 7:00 p.m. Indianapolis W 73–68  –  20 – Harris 11 – Nze 6 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,986) Indianapolis, IN Non-conference regular season November 9, 2021* 6:45 p.m., FS1 IUPUI W 56–47  1–0  16 – Harris 7 – Tied 4 – Harris  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,134) Indianapolis, IN November 12, 2021* 6:30 p.m., FS2 Central Arkansas W 85–53  2–0  18 – Taylor 7 – Nze 3 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,390) Indianapolis, IN November 13, 2021* 8:00 p.m., FS2 Troy W 70–59  3–0  23 – Harris 8 – Nze 5 – Nze  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,227) Indianapolis, IN November 17, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS1 Michigan State Gavitt Tipoff Games L 52–73  3–1  15 – Groce 8 – Groce 4 – Harris  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN November 22, 2021* 4:30 p.m., ESPN2 vs. No. 12 Houston Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinal L 52–70  3–2  16 – Bolden 7 – Groce 6 – Thompson  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,937) Paradise, NV November 23, 2021* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 vs. Texas A&M Maui Invitational Tournament consolation game L 50–57  3–3  10 – Bolden 6 – Thompson 3 – Thompson  Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV November 24, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPNU vs. Chaminade Maui Invitational 7th place game W 84–51  4–3  21 – Taylor 7 – Golden 6 – Bolden  Michelob Ultra Arena Paradise, NV November 30, 2021* 5:00 p.m., FS1 Saginaw Valley State W 68–57  5–3  15 – Tied 8 – Golden 6 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,706) Indianapolis, IN December 7, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 at Oklahoma Big East–Big 12 Battle W 66-62 $^{OT}$ 6–3  26 – Harris 7 – Golden 3 – Thompson  Lloyd Noble Center (8,654) Norman, OK December 11, 2021* 4:00 p.m., FS1 Eastern Illinois W 66–54  7–3  20 – Golden 7 – Groce 10 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,654) Indianapolis, IN December 18, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FOX vs. No. 3 Purdue Crossroads Classic L 48–77  7–4  17 – Golden 5 – Lukosius 6 – Thompson  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,905) Indianapolis, IN Big East regular season December 29, 2021 5:00 p.m., FS1 DePaul W 63–59  8–4 (1–0)  15 – Lukosius 5 – Tied 7 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,655) Indianapolis, IN January 4, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN No. 24 Seton Hall L 56–71  8–5 (1–1)  19 – Golden 5 – Nze 3 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,234) Indianapolis, IN January 7, 2022 8:30 p.m., FS1 No. 22 Xavier L 72–87  8–6 (1–2)  20 – Thompson 5 – Nze 4 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,557) Indianapolis, IN January 13, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 at Georgetown W 72–58  9–6 (2–2)  23 – Bolden 7 – Tied 3 – Tied  Capital One Arena (4,117) Washington, D.C. January 16, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 at No. 14 Villanova L 42–82  9–7 (2–3)  10 – Nze 4 – Tied 1 – 5 Tied  Wells Fargo Center (17,009) Philadelphia, PA January 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 at No. 25 UConn Rescheduled from January 1 L 59–76  9–8 (2–4)  19 – Taylor 7 – Nze 2 – Tied  XL Center (11,538) Hartford, CT January 20, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 No. 25 UConn L 56–75  9–9 (2–5)  16 – Harris 7 – Nze 5 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,797) Indianapolis, IN January 23, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 at No. 21 Providence L 62–69  9–10 (2–6)  21 – Harris 8 – Hodges 6 – Thompson  Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,561) Providence, RI January 26, 2022 7:30 p.m., FS2 Creighton W 72–55  10–10 (3–6)  18 – Hodges 7 – Hodges 6 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,920) Indianapolis, IN January 29, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 Georgetown W 56–53  11–10 (4–6)  13 – Lukosius 12 – Nze 3 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,156) Indianapolis, IN February 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN at No. 21 Xavier L 66–68  11–11 (4–7)  18 – Harris 6 – Nze 4 – Golden  Cintas Center (9,969) Cincinnati, OH February 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 St. John's L 72–75  11–12 (4–8)  22 – Hodges 7 – Hodges 7 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,363) Indianapolis, IN February 8, 2022 9:00 p.m., CBSSN at Creighton L 52–54  11–13 (4–9)  13 – Taylor 9 – Tied 2 – Tied  CHI Health Center Omaha (15,375) Omaha, NE February 12, 2022 4:30 p.m., FS1 No. 18 Marquette W 85–79  12–13 (5–9)  22 – Golden 11 – Hodges 5 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,086) Indianapolis, IN February 15, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 at DePaul W 73–71  13–13 (6–9)  18 – Harris 5 – Tied 4 – Thompson  Wintrust Arena (2,687) Chicago, IL February 18, 2022 5:00 p.m., CBSSN at St. John's Rescheduled from December 23 L 57–91  13–14 (6–10)  19 – Taylor 6 – Taylor 4 – Taylor  Carnesecca Arena (4,527) Queens, NY February 20, 2022 1:00 p.m., FS1 No. 8 Providence L 70–71 $^{OT}$ 13–15 (6–11)  17 – Harris 8 – Hodges 4 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,588) Indianapolis, IN February 23, 2022 8:30 p.m., FS1 at Seton Hall L 60–66  13–16 (6–12)  25 – Hodges 10 – Nze 3 – Thompson  Prudential Center (8,705) Newark, NJ February 26, 2022 1:00 p.m., FOX at Marquette L 56–64  13–17 (6–13)  14 – Golden 11 – Nze 6 – Thompson  Fiserv Forum (17,504) Milwaukee, WI March 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX No. 11 Villanova L 59–78  13–18 (6–14)  19 – Harris 9 – Nze 3 – Thompson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,163) Indianapolis, IN Big East tournament March 9, 2022 4:30 p.m., FS1 (9) vs. (8) Xavier First round W 89–82 $^{OT}$ 14–18  29 – Harris 13 – Nze 4 – Thompson  Madison Square Garden (17,163) New York, NY March 10, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 (9) vs. (1) No. 11 Providence Quarterfinals L 61–65  14–19  14 – Harris 15 – Hodges 3 – Hodges  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 Legend: — = Not ranked 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 | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | RV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings.

## Awards

| Name | Award(s) |