Ugh, these guys
We are contractually obligated to do a preview of Butler. The Bulldogs were the epitome of mid last season and ended 9-11 in the conference. They ran UConn close, won at Creighton and Marquette, but got swept by St. John’s and Seton Hall and lost at Cintas. They ultimately got dumped out in the first round of every postseason competition they were in and were mainly known for being really good at free throws (YAY!)
Thad Matta is still the coach at Butler. Last season he returned to the classic Butler tradition of complaining about every call and generally misbehaving on the sideline. Butler also still plays their home games in the state’s largest 4H exhibition barn. No word yet on if they’ve improved the plumbing situation.
Returning players
The two biggest returners are Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks II. Brooks is a showcase of modern basketball in that he shoots at the rim and from three point range. He shot 40% from deep and nearly 60% at the rim and is not a dude that creates his own shot from deep. Telfort does most of his damage inside the arc, as he only shot a tick above 30% from three last season. He also shot just under 300 times from inside the arc and rarely coughed the ball up. Andre Screen returns and will likely have more minutes to stake his claim to. Screen was an efficient scorer inside and rebounded everything that came off the rim. Finley Bizjak is also back.
Incoming players
Patrick McCaffrey has transferred to Butler from Iowa. I’ll try to not make this personal, but that’s detectable behavior. Ol’ Pat has not exactly eaten up minute while playing for his dad, but doesn’t turn the ball over and shoots threes. A real coach’s kid.
Kolby King transfers in from Tulane after transferring there from St. John’s, so welcome back. King averaged double figures at Tulame last season, shot well from three and at the rim and takes good care of the ball. He scares me already.
Outlook
Butler, as previously mentioned, was an example of mid and inconsistency last season. That Matta does have a track record for improving programs, but it has been some time since his last example. While the Bulldogs return two major contributors from a season ago, I don’t think they have added enough firepower to aid those guys. I think another mid-table finish is coming down the pipe for the folks in the barn this season.