# 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

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| 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: ||||||
| DJ 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: ||||||
| Simas Lukosius G/F | Kaunas, Lithuania | Vilnius Minties Gymnasium | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | N/A | Aug 31, 2021 |
| Recruiting 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

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| 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 |
| 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: "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) |