2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Their head coach was Chris Holtmann, serving his second year. The Bulldogs played their home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has a capacity of approximately 9,100.[1] This was Butler's third season in the Big East Conference. They finished the season 22–11, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament to Providence. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Texas Tech in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Virginia.

2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig East Conference
2015–16 record22–11 (10–8 Big East)
Head coachChris Holtmann (2nd season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
2015–16 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 6 Villanova16–2 .889  35–5  .875
No. 9 Xavier14–4 .778  28–5  .848
No. 20 Seton Hall †12–6 .667  25–9  .735
Providence10–8 .556  24–11  .686
Butler10–8 .556  22–11  .667
Creighton9–9 .500  20–15  .571
Marquette8–10 .444  20–13  .606
Georgetown7–11 .389  15–18  .455
DePaul3–15 .167  9–22  .290
St. John's1–17 .056  8–24  .250
† 2016 Big East Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 23–11, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in a tie for second place. Butler 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.

Off season

With starting point guard Alex Barlow graduating in May 2015, Butler needed to add some depth in the guard position to back up Kellen Dunham and Tyler Lewis, who will be coming off of a redshirt season in 2014–15 due to transfer rules. On March 29, 2015, Jordan Gathers, a 6'3" combo guard from St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10 Conference announced his commitment to Butler after sitting out a season due to a hip injury.[2] Barely a week and a half later, Butler gained another transfer from the Atlantic 10, this time in Kethan Savage from George Washington University.[3] Savage, a 6'3" guard, will have to sit out a year per NCAA transfer regulations and will be available for the 2016–17 season. Gathers completed his degree at St. Bonaventure in three and a half years and therefore is immediately eligible to play.

There were also some changes in the coaching staff in the off season. On April 27, Butler announced the hire of Ryan Pedon, former assistant to Illinois head coach (and former Butler assistant) John Groce, as an assistant coach. Emerson Kampen, who was promoted to an assistant coaching position following Chris Holtmann's appointment as interim HC, was named Butler's new basketball analyst for the 2014-15 season.[4]

Another major change occurred in August when it was announced that the playing surface in Hinkle Fieldhouse — the oldest playing surface still in use in the NCAA — was being sanded down to prepare for the new Bulldog logo at center court. The new design does not include the word "Butler" underneath the bulldog, and replaces the word "Bulldogs" on both end lines with "Butler." Also, the home sideline will have "Hinkle Fieldhouse" painted on it.

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Jackson Aldridge11G6'0"180SeniorLane Cove, AustraliaGraduated
Alex Barlow3G5'11"185SeniorSpringboro, OHGraduated
Kameron Woods31F6'9"200SeniorMiddletown, KYGraduated

2015 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nate Fowler
Center		 Cincinnati, OH Archbishop Moeller HS 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) May 27, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Sean McDermott
Shooting Guard		 Pendleton, IN Pendleton Heights HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) May 30, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Jordan Gathers
Shooting Guard (Transfer)		 Woodland Hills, CA William Howard Taft HS / St. Bonaventure 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Mar 29, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Kethan Savage
Shooting Guard (Transfer)		 Alexandria, VA Episcopal HS / George Washington 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) Apr 11, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
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:

  • "2015 Butler Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  • "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2015". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  • "Butler Bulldogs Men's Basketball Recruiting 2015". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-04-18.

    Roster
    2015–16 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 25 Steven Bennett (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)196 lb (89 kg) JrNew Castle New Castle, IN
    F 45 Andrew Chrabascz 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrCushing Portsmouth, RI
    G 24 Kellen Dunham 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrPendleton Heights Pendleton, IN
    G/F 21 Roosevelt Jones 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS SrO'Fallon O'Fallon, IL
    F 30 Kelan Martin 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoBallard Louisville, KY
    F 4 Tyler Wideman 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)246 lb (112 kg) SoLake Central Merrillville, IN
    F 13 Jackson Davis 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)233 lb (106 kg) SoLafayette Lexington, KY
    F 0 Austin Etherington 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SrHamilton Heights (Indiana) Cicero, IN
    G 1 Tyler Lewis 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)169 lb (77 kg) RS JrOak Hill Academy (VA) (N.C. State) Statesville, NC
    G 10 Trey Pettus (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)198 lb (90 kg) JrMICDS St. Louis, MO
    C 51 Nate Fowler 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) FrArchbishop Moeller Cincinnati, OH
    G 22 Sean McDermott  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)182 lb (83 kg) FrPendleton Heights Pendleton, IN
    G 5 Jordan Gathers 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrWilliam Howard Taft (St. Bonaventure) Woodland Hills, CA
    G 11 Kethan Savage  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)201 lb (91 kg) RS JrEpiscopal (George Washington) Alexandria, VA
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster
    Last update: April 28, 2015[5]

    Schedule
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Oct 31, 2015*
    2:00 pm, WISH-TV    		 No. 24 Taylor W 79–44 
    		 14 – Tied  11 – Wideman  3 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,892)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Nov 7, 2015*
    7:00 pm, WISH-TV    		 No. 24 Saint Joseph's W 106–66 
    		 19 – Jones  11 – Davis  8 – Lewis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,960)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 14, 2015*
    7:30 pm, FS2    		 No. 24 The Citadel W 144–71  1–0
    		  24 – Dunham  11 – Jones  8 – Chrabascz  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,440)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Nov 19, 2015*
    1:30 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 22 vs. Missouri State
    Puerto Rico Tip-Off Quarterfinals    		 W 93–59  2–0
    		  18 – Tied  10 – Jones  10 – Lewis  Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,601)
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Nov 20, 2015*
    1:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 22 vs. Temple
    Puerto Rico Tip-Off Semifinals    		 W 74–69  3–0
    		  16 – Tied  11 – Jones  5 – Dunham  Roberto Clemente Coliseum (1,814)
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Nov 22, 2015*
    7:30 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 22 vs. Miami (FL)
    Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship    		 L 75–85  3–1
    		  23 – Dunham  10 – Wideman  5 – Jones  Roberto Clemente Coliseum (5,309)
    San Juan, Puerto Rico
    Nov 28, 2015*
    5:00 pm, FS2    		 SIU Edwardsville W 89–73  4–1
    		  32 – Dunham  6 – Tied  11 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,026)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 2, 2015*
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 at No. 17 Cincinnati W 78–76  5–1
    		  24 – Dunham  9 – Wideman  4 – Lewis  Fifth Third Arena (11,125)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Dec 5, 2015*
    12:00 pm, FS1    		 Indiana State W 85–71  6–1
    		  24 – Martin  8 – Jones  7 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,142)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 7, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FSN    		 No. 18 VMI W 93–66  7–1
    		  20 – Martin  8 – Tied  5 – Lewis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (6,202)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 12, 2015*
    2:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 18 Tennessee W 94–86  8–1
    		  25 – Martin  11 – Martin  10 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 19, 2015*
    5:00 pm, BTN    		 No. 17 vs. No. 9 Purdue
    Crossroads Classic    		 W 74–68  9–1
    		  19 – Jones  11 – Jones  5 – Jones  Bankers Life Fieldhouse (19,156)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 22, 2015*
    8:30 pm, FS2    		 No. 9 Southern Utah W 88–52  10–1
    		  15 – Wideman  10 – Jones  8 – Lewis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,128)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Dec 28, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS2    		 No. 9 IUPUI W 92–54  11–1
    		  19 – Martin  6 – Tied  7 – Lewis  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,210)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Big East Conference Play
    Dec 31, 2015
    2:30 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 9 No. 12 Providence L 73–81  11–2
    (0–1)    		  20 – Martin  9 – Martin  4 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,100)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Jan 2, 2016
    1:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 9 at No. 6 Xavier
    Big East New Year's Marathon    		 L 69–88  11–3
    (0–2)    		  14 – Jones  7 – Martin  6 – Jones  Cintas Center (10,498)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Jan 5, 2016
    8:00 pm, FSN    		 No. 18 at DePaul W 77–72  12–3
    (1–2)    		  24 – Dunham  5 – Wideman  7 – Lewis  Allstate Arena (5,427)
    Rosemont, IL
    Jan 10, 2015
    7:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 18 No. 11 Villanova L 55–60  12–4
    (1–3)    		  20 – Jones  6 – Wideman  3 – Wideman  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Jan 16, 2016
    Noon, FS1    		 No. 23 St. John's W 78–58  13–4
    (2–3)    		  24 – Dunham  10 – Martin  4 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Jan 19, 2016
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 18 at No. 16 Providence L 68–71  13–5
    (2–4)    		  21 – Dunham  11 – Martin  5 – Jones  Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,918)
    Providence, RI
    Jan 23, 2016
    7:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 18 at Creighton L 64–72  13–6
    (2–5)    		  22 – Martin  11 – Martin  4 – Jones  CenturyLink Center (17,677)
    Omaha, NE
    Jan 27, 2016
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 DePaul W 67–53  14–6
    (3–5)    		  23 – Jones  9 – Wideman  4 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,611)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Jan 30, 2016
    Noon, FS1    		 at Marquette L 69–75  14–7
    (3–6)    		  27 – Martin  8 – Wideman  6 – Jones  BMO Harris Bradley Center (15,234)
    Milwaukee, WI
    Feb 2, 2016
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 Georgetown W 87–76  15–7
    (4–6)    		  35 – Martin  9 – Chrabascz  5 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,080)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Feb 6, 2016
    4:30 pm, FSN    		 at St. John's W 89–56  16–7
    (5–6)    		  18 – Martin  14 – Jones  10 – Jones  Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
    Queens, NY
    Feb 10, 2016
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 at Seton Hall W 81–75  17–7
    (6–6)    		  23 – Martin  10 – Martin  6 – Chrabascz  Prudential Center (7,476)
    Newark, NJ
    Feb 13, 2016
    2:30 pm, FOX    		 No. 5 Xavier L 57–74  17–8
    (6–7)    		  15 – Martin  12 – Martin  4 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,344)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Feb 16, 2016
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 Creighton W 88–75  18–8
    (7–7)    		  21 – Martin  8 – Martin  6 – Tied  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,330)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Feb 20, 2016
    2:30 pm, FOX    		 at No. 1 Villanova L 67–77  18–9
    (7–8)    		  19 – Martin  8 – Dunham  3 – Wideman  The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Feb 27, 2016
    Noon, CBS    		 at Georgetown W 90–87 OT 19–9
    (8–8)    		  29 – Dunham  8 – Wideman  4 – Chrabascz  Verizon Center (10,142)
    Washington, D.C.
    Mar 2, 2016
    8:30 pm, FS1    		 Seton Hall W 85–78  20–9
    (9–8)    		  22 – Dunham  9 – Martin  5 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,392)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Mar 5, 2016
    2:30 pm, FSN    		 Marquette W 95–74  21–9
    (10–8)    		  18 – Etherington  9 – Martin  6 – Jones  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,244)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Big East Tournament
    Mar 10, 2016
    2:30 pm, FS1    		 (5) vs. (4) Providence
    Quarterfinals    		 L 60–74  21–10
    		  17 – Dunham  10 – Martin  5 – Jones  Madison Square Garden (14,863)
    New York, NY
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 17, 2016*
    12:40 pm, truTV    		 (9 MW) vs. (8 MW) Texas Tech
    First Round    		 W 71–61  22–10
    		  23 – Dunham  8 – Jones  6 – Jones  PNC Arena (19,722)
    Raleigh, NC
    Mar 19, 2016*
    7:10 pm, TBS    		 (9 MW) vs. (1 MW) No. 4 Virginia
    Second Round    		 L 69–77  22–11
    		  25 – Chrabascz  5 – Tied  2 – Tied  PNC Arena (19,433)
    Raleigh, NC
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    Rankings
    Main article: 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
    Ranking movement
    Legend: ██ Improvement in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes.
    PollPreWk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6Wk 7Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16Wk 17Wk 18PostFinal
    AP 24 24 22 RV RV 18 17 9 9 18 23 18 RV NR NR NR NR NR RV RV N/A
    Coaches 22 22 20 RV 25 21 18 12 10 19 23 24 RV RV NR NR NR NR RV RV RV

    Awards
    NameAward(s)
    Kellen DunhamPreseason All-Big East First Team[6]
    Big East Player of the Week – Nov. 29–Dec.5[7]
    All-Big East Honorable Mention[8]
    Big East Sportsmanship Award[9]
    Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year[10]
    Roosevelt JonesPreseason All-Big East First Team[11]
    Puerto Rico Tip-Off All-Tournament Team[12]
    Big East Player of the Week – Dec. 13–19[13]
    CBS Sports National Player of the Week – Week 13[14]
    All-Big East Second Team[15]
    Kelan MartinBig East Player of the Week – Dec. 6–12[16]
    Big East Player of the Week – Jan. 31–Feb. 6[17]
    All-Big East Second Team[18]

    References
    1. Hinkle capacity
    2. "St. Bonaventure guard commits to Butler". indystar.com. Indy Star. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
    3. "George Washington transfer commits to Butler". nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
    4. "Butler Announces Men's Basketball Coaching Appointments". butlersports.com. Butler University. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
    5. "2015-16 Butler Bulldogs". Butlersports.com. Butler University. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
    6. "Providence's Kris Dunn Named Preseason Player of the Year". Big East Conference. October 14, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
    7. "Butler's Dunham Named MBB Player of the Week". Big East Conference. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
    8. "Four Named Unanimously to MBB All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
    9. "Providence's Dunn Named Defensive Player of the Year, Other Awards Announced". Big East Conference. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
    10. "Butler's Kellen Dunham Named BIG EAST Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year". Big East Conference. March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
    11. "Providence's Kris Dunn Named Preseason Player of the Year". Big East Conference. October 14, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
    12. "Puerto Rico native Rodriguez Named Tourney MVP". ESPN. November 23, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
    13. "Butler's Jones, Xavier's Sumner Earn MBB Weekly Honors". Big East Conference. December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
    14. "Butler's Roosevelt Jones wins player of the week after rare triple-double". CBS Sports. February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
    15. "Four Named Unanimously to MBB All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
    16. "Butler's Martin, Marquette's Ellenson Take MBB Weekly Honors". Big East Conference. December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
    17. "Butler's Martin, Xavier's Sumner Claim MBB Weekly Awards". Big East Conference. February 8, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
    18. "Four Named Unanimously to MBB All-BIG EAST First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
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