2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by LaVall Jordan, in his fourth 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 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^[1] before losing to Creighton in the quarterfinals.^[2]

2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	10–15 (8–12 Big East)
Head coach	LaVall Jordan (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Emerson Kampen (5th season) Omar Lowery (4th season) Will Vergollo (1st season)
Home arena	Hinkle Fieldhouse
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Big East men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 18 Villanova	11	–	4		.733			18	–	7		.720
No. 19 Creighton	14	–	6		.700			22	–	9		.710
UConn	11	–	6		.647			15	–	8		.652
St. John's	10	–	9		.526			16	–	11		.593
Seton Hall	10	–	9		.526			14	–	13		.519
Providence	9	–	10		.474			13	–	13		.500
Xavier	6	–	7		.462			13	–	8		.619
Georgetown †	7	–	9		.438			13	–	13		.500
Marquette	8	–	11		.421			13	–	14		.481
Butler	8	–	12		.400			10	–	15		.400
DePaul	2	–	13		.133			5	–	14		.263
† 2021 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2019–20 season 23–9, 10–8 to finish in fifth place in Big East play. In the Big East tournament, they were scheduled to play Providence in the quarterfinals, but the tournament was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,^[3] All remaining postseason tournaments were thereafter canceled, including the NCAA tournament, effectively ending the Bulldogs season.^[4]

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Derrik Smits	21	C	7'1"	235	Graduate	Zionsville, IN	Completed college eligibility[a]
Sean McDermott	22	G	6'6"	195	RS Senior	Pendleton, IN	Graduated
Henry Baddley	20	G/F	6'4"	185	Senior	Wadsworth, OH	Graduated
Kamar Baldwin	3	G	6'1"	190	Senior	Winder, GA	Graduated
Jordan Tucker	1	F	6'7"	220	Junior	White Plains, NY	Declared for NBA draft
Khalif Battle	4	G	6'5"	175	Freshman	Edison, NJ	Transferred to Temple

1. Smits was a graduate transfer in the 2019–20 season, having graduated from Valparaiso in 2019.

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Jair Bolden	52	G	6'3"	210	Graduate	Brooklyn, NY	Transferred from South Carolina. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from South Carolina. 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 two years of remaining eligibility instead of one.
Bo Hodges	–	G	6'5"	210	RS Junior	Nashville, TN	Transferred from East Tennessee State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Hodges will redshirt for the 2020–21 season and have one year of remaining eligibility.

Recruiting classes

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Chuck Harris PG	Washington, D.C.	Gonzaga High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	May 15, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Myles Wilmoth PF	Spring Valley, NY	St. Andrew's School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jul 3, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Myles Tate PG	Roebuck, SC	Dorman High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Aug 5, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Carlos Johnson SF	Benton Harbor, MI	Benton Harbor High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 2, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jakobe Coles PF	Denton, TX	Guyer High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Oct 6, 2019
	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: "2020 Butler Commits". Rivals.com. "ESPN- Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
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:
D.J. 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:
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.

Roster

2020–21 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 52 Jair Bolden 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS Westtown School (South Carolina) Brooklyn, NY F 25 Christian David 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Vermont Academy Milton, Ontario G 2 Aaron Thompson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Paul VI Catholic Glenn Dale, MD F 10 Bryce Nze 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Arrowhead (Milwaukee) Hartland, WI G 1 Bo Hodges 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Maplewood (East Tennessee State) Nashville, TN G 0 Campbell Donovan (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Jr Bishop Dwenger Fort Wayne, IN F 33 Bryce Golden 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr St. James School Winchester, VA F 24 Markeese Hastings 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Godwin Heights Wyoming, MI F 30 Mike Parker (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Coastal Christian Wilmington, NC F/C 35 John-Michael Mulloy 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Carmel Carmel, IN G 3 Chuck Harris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Gonzaga College Washington, D.C. F 5 Myles Wilmoth 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr St. Andrew's School Spring Valley, NY F 11 Carlos Johnson   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Benton Harbor Benton Harbor, MI G 12 Myles Tate 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr Dorman Roebuck, SC F 21 JaKobe Coles 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Guyer Denton, TX	Head coach LaVall Jordan (Butler) Assistant coach(es) Emerson Kampen (Butler) Omar Lowery (Concordia (WI)) Will Vergollo (Michigan) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: November 2, 2020[5]

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020* 6:00 p.m., FS1		Western Michigan	W 66–62[6]	1–0	21 – Thompson	9 – Bolden	4 – Thompson	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,500) Indianapolis, IN
November 29, 2020* 6:30 p.m., FS1		Eastern Illinois	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
December 6, 2020* 7:00 p.m., FS1		Northern Kentucky	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
December 11, 2020* 3:00 p.m., FS1		Kansas State Big East–Big 12 Alliance	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
December 14, 2020 5:00 p.m., FS1		St. John's	Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
December 16, 2020 7:00 p.m., FS1		at No. 7 Villanova	L 66–85[7]	1–1 (0–1)	18 – Bolden	8 – Nze	6 – Thompson	Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
December 19, 2020* 11:30 a.m., FS1		vs. Indiana Crossroads Classic	L 60–68[8]	1–2	20 – Bolden	10 – Nze	3 – Tied	Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
December 21, 2020* 7:30 p.m., FS1		Southern Illinois	L 73–76[9]	1–3	22 – Harris	11 – Nze	6 – Harris	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,412) Indianapolis, IN
December 23, 2020 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Providence	W 70–64[10]	2–3 (1–1)	14 – Coles	8 – Tate	7 – Tate	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,724) Indianapolis, IN
December 30, 2020 5:00 p.m., FS1		at Providence	L 55–71[11]	2–4 (1–2)	15 – Bolden	6 – Tied	4 – Tate	Dunkin' Donuts Center  Providence, RI
January 2, 2021 4:30 p.m., FS1		at Seton Hall	L 60–68[12]	2–5 (1–3)	22 – Tate	6 – Nze	5 – Tate	Prudential Center  Newark, NJ
January 6, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1		Georgetown	W 63–55 [13]	3–5 (2–3)	18 – Harris	7 – Hastings	5 – Harris	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,355) Indianapolis, IN
January 9, 2021 4:00 p.m., FS1		UConn	L 60–72[14]	3–6 (2–4)	18 – Nze	6 – Nze	6 – Thompson	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,879) Indianapolis, IN
January 12, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1		at St. John's	L 57–69[15]	3–7 (2–5)	17 – Bolden	14 – Nze	5 – Nze	Carnesecca Arena  Queens, NY
January 16, 2021 2:00 p.m., FOX		No. 8 Creighton	W 70–66[16] OT	4–7 (3–5)	17 – Thompson	10 – Tate	6 – Thompson	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,693) Indianapolis, IN
January 19, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		at DePaul	W 67–53[17]	5–7 (4–5)	21 – Bolden	14 – Nze	4 – Tied	Wintrust Arena  Chicago, IL
January 22, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1		Seton Hall	Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic					Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
January 26, 2021 8:30 p.m., FS1		at UConn	L 51–63[18]	5–8 (4–6)	19 – Golden	9 – Nze	3 – Nze	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion  Storrs, CT
January 29, 2021 5:30 p.m., FS1		Xavier	L 55–68[19]	5–9 (4–7)	16 – Nze	11 – Nze	2 – 3 Tied	Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,084) Indianapolis, IN
February 2, 2021 5:00 p.m., FS1		at Marquette	L 67–70[20]	5–10 (4–8)	16 – Harris	12 – Hodges	8 – Hodges	Fiserv Forum  Milwaukee, WI
February 6, 2021 12:00 p.m., FS1		DePaul	W 68–58[21]	6–10 (5–8)	22 – Tied	10 – Hodges	5 – Thompson	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,715) Indianapolis, IN
February 9, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1		St. John's	W 76–73[22] OT	7–10 (6–8)	19 – Nze	10 – Nze	10 – Thompson	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,416) Indianapolis, IN
February 13, 2021 1:30 p.m., CBSSN		at Georgetown	L 63–78[23]	7–11 (6–9)	12 – 3 Tied	5 – Hodges	11 – Thompson	Capital One Arena  Washington, D.C.
February 17, 2021 6:30 p.m., FS1		Marquette	L 57–73[24]	7–12 (6–10)	21 – Harris	5 – Harris	3 – Tied	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,389) Indianapolis, IN
February 21, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1		at Xavier	L 51–63[25]	7–13 (6–11)	14 – Harris	12 – Golden	6 – Harris	Cintas Center (922) Cincinnati, OH
February 24, 2021 7:00 p.m., CBSSN		Seton Hall	W 61–52[26]	8–13 (7–11)	16 – Bolden	13 – Nze	5 – Harris	Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,524) Indianapolis, IN
February 28, 2021 12:00 p.m., CBS		No. 8 Villanova	W 73–61[27]	9–13 (8–11)	20 – Harris	11 – Nze	5 – Nze	Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,203) Indianapolis, IN
March 6, 2021 5:00 p.m., FOX		at No. 14 Creighton	L 73–93[28]	9–14 (8–12)	29 – Harris	6 – Tied	4 – Tied	CHI Health Center Omaha (2,419) Omaha, NE
Big East tournament
March 10, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	(10)	vs. (7) Xavier First round	W 70–69[29]	10–14	21 – Harris	9 – Golden	3 – Tate	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
March 11, 2021 6:00 p.m., FS1	(10)	vs. (2) No. 17 Creighton Quarterfinal	L 56–87[30]	10–15	21 – Nze	6 – Nze	3 – Nze	Madison Square Garden  New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time [31].

Rankings

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked

	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.

Awards

Name	Award(s)

References

1. "Harris sinks game-winning FTs, Butler ousts Xavier in OT". AP. CBS Sports. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
2. "McDermott, No. 17 Creighton rout Butler 87-56 in Big East". ESPN. ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
3. West, Jenna. "Big East Cancels Tournament Over Coronavirus". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
4. "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
5. "2020-21 Men's Basketball Roster". Butlersports.com. Butler University. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
6. "Western Michigan vs. Butler Box Score, November 25, 2020".
7. "Butler vs. Villanova Box Score, December 16, 2020".
8. "Butler vs. Indiana Box Score, December 19, 2020".
9. "Southern Illinois vs. Butler Box Score, December 21, 2020".
10. "Providence vs. Butler Box Score, December 23, 2020".
11. "Butler vs. Providence Box Score, December 30, 2020".
12. "Butler vs. Seton Hall Box Score, January 2, 2021".
13. "Georgetown vs. Butler Box Score, January 6, 2021".
14. "Connecticut vs. Butler Box Score, January 9, 2021".
15. "Butler vs. St. John's (NY) Box Score, January 12, 2021".
16. "Creighton vs. Butler Box Score, January 16, 2021".
17. "Butler vs. DePaul Box Score, January 19, 2021".
18. "Butler vs. Connecticut Box Score, January 26, 2021".
19. "Xavier vs. Butler Box Score, January 30, 2021".
20. "Butler vs. Marquette Box Score, February 2, 2021".
21. "DePaul vs. Butler Box Score, February 6, 2021".
22. "St. John's (NY) vs. Butler Box Score, February 9, 2021".
23. "Butler vs. Georgetown Box Score, February 13, 2021".
24. "Marquette vs. Butler Box Score, February 17, 2021".
25. "Butler vs. Xavier Box Score, February 21, 2021".
26. "Seton Hall vs. Butler Box Score, February 24, 2021".
27. "Villanova vs. Butler Box Score, February 28, 2021".
28. "Butler vs. Creighton Box Score, March 6, 2021".
29. "Butler vs. Xavier Box Score, March 10, 2021".
30. "Butler vs. Creighton Box Score, March 11, 2021".
31. "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule".