# 2014–15 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, who took over as interim head coach after Brandon Miller requested and was granted a medical leave of absence from the university. Holtmann was then named the permanent head coach on January 2, 2015, becoming the 23rd head coach of Butler's men's basketball team. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 9,100. This was Butler's second season in the Big East Conference. They finished the season 23–11, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in a tie for second place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to Xavier. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a #6 seed and defeated Texas in the second round before losing in the Third Round to Notre Dame.

## Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2013–14 season with a record of 14–17, 4–14 in Big East play to finish in ninth place. They lost in the first round of the Big East tournament to Seton Hall.

## Off season
### 2014 recruiting class

Butler's 2014 spring recruiting run was able to stymie some of the postseason woes of 2013–14, with the entire freshman class save Andrew Chrabascz and walk-on Steven Bennett electing to transfer from the program along with Devontae Morgan from the sophomore class. The Bulldogs gained some considerable size in the front court this season, bringing in three freshman power forwards ranging from 6'6" to 6'8" and a small forward in Austin Etherington, a red-shirt junior transfer from Indiana who is immediately eligible to play. Another highlight of Butler's spring recruiting run was the addition of McDonald's All-American point guard Tyler Lewis, who elected to transfer from NC State and will sit out a year and start playing in the 2015–16 season per NCAA regulations.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kelan Martin Power Forward | Louisville, KY | Ballard High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 8, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Tyler Wideman Power Forward | Merrillville, IN | Lake Central High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Jul 20, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 ||||||
| Jackson Davis Power Forward | Lexington, KY | Lafayette High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 25, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 71 ||||||
| 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: "2014 Butler Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2014". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014. "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2014". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014. ||||||

### Departures

After the previous season ended, four players announced that they would transfer. Sophomore guard Devontae Morgan, freshman forward Nolan Berry, freshman guard Elijah Brown, and freshman walk-on guard Michael Volovic announced their transfers at various times in the postseason.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Khyle Marshall | 23 | F | 6'6" | 216 | Senior | Davie, FL | Graduated |
| Erik Fromm | 4 | F | 6'8" | 223 | Senior | Bloomington, IN | Graduated |
| Devontae Morgan | 2 | G | 6'3" | 176 | Sophomore | Tampa, FL | Transferred |
| Nolan Berry | 22 | F/C | 6'10" | 200 | Freshman | St. Louis, MO | Transferred |
| Michael Volovic | 10 | G | 5'9" | 165 | Freshman | Carmel, IN | Transferred |
| Elijah Brown | 5 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman | Santa Ana, CA | Transferred |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 1* 7:00 pm | | Chicago | W 88–45 | | 18 – Dunham | 9 – Tied | 8 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,684) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 8* 2:00 pm | | Franklin | W 98–43 | | 18 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 6 – Barlow | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,624) Indianapolis, IN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 15* 4:30 pm, FS2 | | Maine | W 99–57 | 1–0 | 18 – Dunham | 6 – Tied | 9 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,652) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 18* 9:00 pm, FS2 | | Chattanooga Battle 4 Atlantis | W 70–48 | 2–0 | 26 – Dunham | 16 – Woods | 7 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,409) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 22* 5:00 pm, FS2 | | Loyola (MD) | W 80–39 | 3–0 | 23 – Martin | 7 – Martin | 6 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,058) Indianapolis, IN |
| Nov 26* 12:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 5 North Carolina Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 74–66 | 4–0 | 17 – Tied | 13 – Woods | 6 – Jones | Imperial Arena (3,136) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 27* 1:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Oklahoma Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | L 46–59 | 4–1 | 17 – Dunham | 6 – Jones | 2 – Tied | Imperial Arena (2,107) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 28* 2:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Georgetown Battle 4 Atlantis 3rd place game | W 64–58 | 5–1 | 16 – Dunham | 7 – Woods | 3 – Tied | Imperial Arena (1,542) Nassau, BAH |
| Dec 3* 7:05 pm, WNDY | No. 23 | at Indiana State | W 77–54 | 6–1 | 14 – Tied | 12 – Woods | 4 – Tied | Hulman Center (5,528) Terra Haute, IN |
| Dec 6* 4:30 pm, FOX | No. 23 | Northwestern | W 65–56 | 7–1 | 19 – Dunham | 9 – Woods | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,920) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 8* 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 15 | Kennesaw State | W 93–51 | 8–1 | 19 – Jones | 7 – Jones | 7 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,103) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 14* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 15 | at Tennessee | L 55–67 | 8–2 | 16 – Dunham | 16 – Woods | 4 – Barlow | Thompson-Boling Arena (14,058) Knoxville, TN |
| Dec 20* 2:30 pm, FS1 | No. 23 | vs. Indiana Crossroads Classic | L 73–82 | 8–3 | 23 – Dunham | 12 – Woods | 2 – Jones | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (N/A) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 22* 7:00 pm, FS1 | | UT Martin | W 64–37 | 9–3 | 17 – Chrabascz | 9 – Woods | 3 – Woods | Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,891) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 28* 6:00 pm, FS1 | | Belmont | W 67–56 | 10–3 | 20 – Jones | 9 – Wideman | 4 – Chrabascz | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,752) Indianapolis, IN |
| Big East Conference Play |||||||||
| Dec 31 2:30 pm, FS1 | | at No. 6 Villanova | L 55–67 | 10–4 (0–1) | 12 – Tied | 9 – Jones | 2 – Tied | The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA |
| Jan 3 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | at No. 15 St. John's | W 73–69 | 11–4 (1–1) | 28 – Dunham | 9 – Woods | 3 – Jones | Carnesecca Arena (5,602) Queens, NY |
| Jan 6 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | Providence | L 62–66 | 11–5 (1–2) | 18 – Dunham | 11 – Woods | 2 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (5,755) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 10 4:30 pm, FS1 | | Xavier | W 88–76 | 12–5 (2–2) | 19 – Chrabascz | 11 – Woods | 7 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 13 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 21 Seton Hall | W 79–75 $^{OT}$ | 13–5 (3–2) | 23 – Jones | 15 – Woods | 3 – Tied | Prudential Center (7,574) Newark, NJ |
| Jan 17 5:00 pm, FS1 | | at Georgetown | L 59–61 | 13–6 (3–3) | 28 – Jones | 6 – Tied | 3 – Dunham | Verizon Center (14,821) Washington, D.C. |
| Jan 21 9:00 pm, FS1 | | Creighton | W 64–61 | 14–6 (4–3) | 18 – Jones | 10 – Jones | 6 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,114) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 25 3:00 pm, FSN | | No. 24 Seton Hall | W 77–57 | 15–6 (5–3) | 16 – Chrabascz | 8 – Woods | 8 – Barlow | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,823) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 31 2:00 pm, FSN | No. 25 | at Marquette | W 72–68 $^{OT}$ | 16–6 (6–3) | 30 – Chrabascz | 18 – Woods | 5 – Barlow | BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,342) Milwaukee, WI |
| Feb 3 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 22 | St. John's | W 85–62 | 17–6 (7–3) | 21 – Dunham | 12 – Woods | 4 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,132) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 7 3:30 pm, FS1 | No. 22 | DePaul | W 83–73 | 18–6 (8–3) | 24 – Dunham | 8 – Woods | 7 – Barlow | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 14 6:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 18 | No. 6 Villanova | L 65–68 | 18–7 (8–4) | 19 – Tied | 11 – Woods | 3 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,231) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 16 9:15 pm, FS1 | No. 19 | at Creighton | W 58–56 | 19–7 (9–4) | 19 – Dunham | 10 – Woods | 6 – Jones | CenturyLink Center (17,971) Omaha, NE |
| Feb 21 2:00 pm, FSN | No. 19 | at Xavier | L 56–73 | 19–8 (9–5) | 14 – Jones | 9 – Woods | 4 – Wideman | Cintas Center (10,492) Cincinnati, OH |
| Feb 25 8:00 pm, FS1 | No. 23 | Marquette | W 73–52 | 20–8 (10–5) | 22 – Dunham | 8 – Wideman | 6 – Tied | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,830) Indianapolis, IN |
| Feb 28 2:00 pm, FS2 | No. 23 | at DePaul | W 67–53 | 21–8 (11–5) | 24 – Dunham | 6 – Tied | 4 – Jones | Allstate Arena (8,805) Rosemont, IL |
| Mar 3 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 21 | Georgetown | L 54–60 | 21–9 (11–6) | 15 – Woods | 16 – Woods | 3 – Jones | Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100) Indianapolis, IN |
| Mar 7 12:00 PM, FS1 | No. 21 | at No. 24 Providence | W 68–64 | 22–9 (12–6) | 16 – Jones | 12 – Woods | 4 – Chrabascz | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,400) Providence, RI |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| Mar 12 9:30 pm, FS1 | (3) No. 22 | (6) Xavier Quarterfinals | L 61–67 $^{OT}$ | 22–10 | 22 – Barlow | 14 – Woods | 4 – Jones | Madison Square Garden (13,245) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 19* 2:45 pm, CBS | (6 MW) No. 24 | vs. (11 MW) Texas Second round | W 56–48 | 23–10 | 20 – Dunham | 9 – Woods | 4 – Jones | Consol Energy Center (15,818) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mar 21* 9:40 pm, TBS | (6 MW) No. 24 | vs. (3 MW) No. 8 Notre Dame Third round | L 64–67 $^{OT}$ | 23–11 | 23 – Jones | 15 – Woods | 3 – Tied | Consol Energy Center (18,762) Pittsburgh, PA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Post | Final |
| AP | NR | NR | NR | NR | 23 | 15 | 23 | RV | NR | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 24 | N/A |
| Coaches | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | 19 | 25 | RV | NR | RV | NR | RV | RV | 22 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 23 |

### Awards

| Name | Award(s) |
| Alex Barlow | Academic All-District Academic All-American Big East Sportsmanship Award Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year Lowe's Senior Class Award |
| Kellen Dunham | Preseason All-Big East First Team Battle 4 Atlantis All-tournament Team Big East Player of the Week - February 9 All-Big East First Team |
| Roosevelt Jones | Preseason All-Big East Honorable Mention All-Big East Second Team |

## 2014–15 Postseason

As part of the Final Four weekend, on April 2 Alex Barlow represented Butler in the State Farm 2015 College Slam Dunk and 3-pt contest. After advancing past the first two rounds, Barlow met Kevin Pangos in the final round, just barely getting edged, 22-21. A sold out Hinkle Fieldhouse erupted in cheers for the graduating senior, a fan favorite. Another Butler senior, Kameron Woods, participated in the Reese's College All-Star Game on the East Team, joining five other Big East players on the roster. Although the East lost to the West 109-87, Woods dominated the glass, pulling down 14 rebounds - six more than any other player in the game.