# 2023–24 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by Thad Matta, in the second 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.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2022–23 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| DJ Hughes | 0 | F | 6'6" | 230 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to East Tennessee State |
| Eric Hunter Jr. | 2 | G | 6'4" | 170 | GS Senior | Indianapolis, IN | Graduated |
| Chuck Harris | 3 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Junior | Ashburn, VA | Transferred to SMU |
| Myles Wilmoth | 11 | F | 6'9" | 215 | Junior | Chestnut Ridge, NY | Transferred to Hofstra |
| Myles Tate | 12 | G | 6'0" | 165 | Junior | Roebuck, SC | Transferred to Appalachian State |
| Jayden Taylor | 13 | G | 6'4" | 195 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, IN | Transferred to NC State |
| Pierce Thomas | 14 | G/F | 6'5" | 210 | RS Freshman | Brownsburg, IN | Transferred to Eastern Kentucky |
| Manny Bates | 15 | C | 6'11" | 240 | GS Senior | Fayetteville, NC | Graduated/went undrafted in 2023 NBA draft |
| Ali Ali | 24 | G/F | 6'8" | 205 | Senior | Kendallville, IN | Graduate transferred to Akron |
| Simas Lukosius | 41 | G/F | 6'7" | 225 | Sophomore | Kaunas, Lituania | Transferred to Cincinnati |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school | Seasons Remaining |
| DJ Davis | 4 | G | 6'1" | 170 | Senior | Moreno Valley, CA | UC Irvine | Two |
| Posh Alexander | 5 | G | 6'0" | 200 | Senior | Brooklyn, NY | St. John's | Two |
| Jahmyl Telfort | 11 | G | 6'7" | 224 | Senior | Boucherville, QC | Northeastern | Two |
| Landon Moore | 14 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Sophomore | Bloomington, IL | Saint Francis (PA) | Three |
| Pierre Brooks II | 21 | G | 6'6" | 225 | Junior | Detroit, MI | Michigan State | Two |
| Andre Screen | 23 | C | 7'1" | 261 | Senior | Alexandria, VA | Bucknell | Two |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Finley Bizjack #19 SG | Trophy Club, TX | Byron Nelson High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 1, 2022 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Augusto Cassiá PF | Salvador, Brazil | NBA Academy Latin America | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | Apr 1, 2023 |
| 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. ||||||

#### 2024 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Evan Haywood SG | Indianapolis, IN | Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 13, 2023 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Colt Langdon PF | Raleigh, NC | Millbrook High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jul 10, 2024 |
| 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 28, 2023* 7:30 p.m. | | Ohio Northern | W 78–46 | | 13 – Davis | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,121) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 1, 2023* 7:00 p.m. | | Franklin (IN) | W 91–54 | | 16 – Telfort | 7 – Tied | 5 – Moore | Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,877) Indianapolis, IN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Eastern Michigan | W 94–55 | 1–0 | 18 – Telfort | 7 – Thomas | 8 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,792) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 10, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS2 | | Southeast Missouri State | W 91–56 | 2–0 | 15 – Alexander | 9 – Thomas | 5 – Bizjack | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,072) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 13, 2023* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | East Tennessee State | W 81–47 | 3–0 | 15 – Davis | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,511) Indianapolis, IN |
| November 17, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 18 Michigan State Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 54–74 | 3–1 | 15 – Telfort | 6 – Telfort | 2 – Alexander | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| November 23, 2023* 2:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 19 Florida Atlantic ESPN Events Invitational quarterfinals | L 86–91 | 3–2 | 19 – Telfort | 8 – Screen | 9 – Alexander | State Farm Field House (3,061) Bay Lake, FL |
| November 24, 2023* 1:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Penn State ESPN Events Invitational consolation 2nd round | W 88–78 | 4–2 | 26 – Brooks | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | State Farm Field House (2,194) Bay Lake, FL |
| November 26, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Boise State ESPN Events Invitational | W 70–56 | 5–2 | 25 – Brooks | 9 – Thomas | 5 – Telfort | State Farm Field House (234) Bay Lake, FL |
| November 30, 2023* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Texas Tech Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 103–95 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 | 26 – Telfort | 10 – Alexander | 11 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,893) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 5, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Buffalo | W 72–59 | 7–2 | 18 – Tied | 10 – Thomas | 8 – Telfort | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,262) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 9, 2023* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | California | W 97–90 $^{2OT}$ | 8–2 | 21 – Alexander | 7 – Brooks | 6 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,032) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Saginaw Valley State | W 96–70 | 9–2 | 17 – Bizjack | 8 – Thomas | 5 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,431) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 19, 2023 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | Georgetown | W 74–64 | 10–2 (1–0) | 13 – Tied | 8 – Thomas | 7 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,915) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 23, 2023 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Providence | L 75–85 $^{OT}$ | 10–3 (1–1) | 22 – Davis | 10 – Alexander | 2 – Tied | Amica Mutual Pavilion (11,602) Providence, RI |
| January 2, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at St. John's | L 70–86 | 10–4 (1–2) | 25 – Davis | 7 – Brooks | 5 – Alexander | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| January 5, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 4 UConn | L 81–88 | 10–5 (1–3) | 22 – Davis | 6 – Screen | 6 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,163) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 10, 2024 9:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at No. 11 Marquette | W 69–62 | 11–5 (2–3) | 14 – Tied | 14 – Thomas | 7 – Alexander | Fiserv Forum (14,858) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 13, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | Seton Hall | L 72–78 | 11–6 (2–4) | 17 – Alexander | 7 – Thomas | 4 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,777) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 16, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Xavier | L 71–85 | 11–7 (2–5) | 22 – Brooks | 10 – Thomas | 5 – Alexander | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH |
| January 20, 2024 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | DePaul | W 74–60 | 12–7 (3–5) | 20 – Brooks | 9 – Telfort | 6 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,553) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 23, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 90–66 | 13–7 (4–5) | 20 – Brooks | 11 – Brooks | 5 – Davis | Capital One Arena (4,625) Washington, D.C. |
| January 27, 2024 3:00 p.m., FS1 | | Villanova | W 88–81 $^{2OT}$ | 14–7 (5–5) | 28 – Davis | 11 – Telfort | 4 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,237) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 2, 2024 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 13 Creighton | W 99–98 | 15–7 (6–5) | 26 – Telfort | 5 – Brooks | 5 – Davis | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,874) Omaha, NE |
| February 6, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 1 UConn | L 62–71 | 15–8 (6–6) | 21 – Davis | 9 – Screen | 5 – Alexander | XL Center (15,684) Hartford, CT |
| February 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | Providence | W 75–72 | 16–8 (7–6) | 20 – Davis | 8 – Tied | 8 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,934) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 13, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | No. 4 Marquette | L 72–78 | 16–9 (7–7) | 19 – Bizjack | 7 – Tied | 6 – Telfort | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,344) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 17, 2024 12:30 p.m., FOX | | No. 17 Creighton | L 57–79 | 16–10 (7–8) | 18 – Thomas | 5 – Thomas | 4 – Alexander | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,176) Indianapolis, IN |
| February 20, 2024 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Villanova | L 62–72 | 16–11 (7–9) | 19 – Telfort | 7 – Telfort | 3 – Tied | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA |
| February 24, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS2 | | at Seton Hall | L 64–76 | 16–12 (7–10) | 12 – Thomas | 8 – Telfort | 5 – Davis | Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ |
| February 28, 2024 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | | St. John's | L 59–82 | 16–13 (7–11) | 15 – Alexander | 7 – Alexander | 3 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,279) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 2, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at DePaul | W 82–63 | 17–13 (8–11) | 24 – Davis | 7 – Davis | 9 – Alexander | Wintrust Arena (4,286) Chicago, IL |
| March 6, 2024 7:30 p.m., CBSSN | | Xavier | W 72–66 | 18–13 (9–11) | 18 – Telfort | 10 – Thomas | 4 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,976) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 4:00 p.m., FS1 | (8) | vs. (9) Xavier First Round | L 72–76 | 18–14 | 21 – Brooks | 7 – Thomas | 5 – Alexander | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| National Invitation Tournament |||||||||
| March 19, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | (4) | Minnesota First Round - Indiana State Bracket | L 72–73 | 18–15 | 25 – Telfort | 6 – Tied | 7 – Davis | Hinkle Fieldhouse (3,478) Indianapolis, IN |
| *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.