2019–20 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team


The 2019–20 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Butler University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were coached by LaVall Jordan, in his third 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. The Bulldogs finished the season 23–9, 10–8 in Big East play which put them in fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big East tournament, they were slated to play Providence in the second game of the quarterfinals, but the Tournament was cancelled at halftime of the first game due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the NCAA postseason.

2019–20 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 23
Record22–9 (10–8 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Jeff Meyer (6th season)
  • Emerson Kampen (4th season)
  • Omar Lowery (3rd season)
Home arenaHinkle Fieldhouse
Seasons
2019–20 Big East men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 7 Creighton135 .722247 .774
No. 11 Villanova135 .722247 .774
No. 16 Seton Hall135 .722219 .700
Providence126 .6671912 .613
No. 24 Butler108 .556229 .710
Marquette810 .4441812 .600
Xavier810 .4441913 .594
Georgetown513 .2781517 .469
St. John's513 .2781715 .531
DePaul315 .1671616 .500
Note: The 2020 Big East tournament was cancelled at halftime of the first game of the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Bulldogs finished the 2018–19 season 16–17, 7–11 in Big East play which tied them for eighth place. As the No. 9 seed in the Big East tournament, they were defeated by Providence in the quarterfinals. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NIT as the No. 5 seed in the TCU bracket. There they were defeated in the first round by Nebraska.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Nate Fowler51C6'10"240SeniorCincinnati, OHGraduated
Paul Jorgensen5G6'2"185RS SeniorNew City, NYGraduated
Joey Brunk50C6'11"250RS SophomoreIndianapolis, INTransferred to Indiana
Jerald Gillens-Butler21G/F6'4"230SophomoreFort Lauderdale, FLTransferred to Elon

Incoming Transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Derrik Smits21C7'1"240GraduateZionsville, INTransferred from Valparaiso. Immediately eligible to play as he graduated from Valparaiso.

2019 Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
John-Michael Mulloy
C
Carmel, INCarmel High School6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)195 lb (88 kg)Sep 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Khalif Battle
SG
Metuchen, NJTrenton Catholic Academy6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)May 4, 2018 
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:

  • "2019 Butler Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2019–20 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
C21Derrik Smits7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)235 lb (107 kg)GSZionsville (Valparaiso)Zionsville, IN
G/F20Henry Baddley6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg)SrSt. Vincent–St. MaryWadsworth, OH
G3Kamar Baldwin6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)190 lb (86 kg)SrApalacheeWinder, GA
G22Sean McDermott6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)195 lb (88 kg)RS SrPendleton HeightsPendleton, IN
F25Christian David  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg)JrVermont AcademyMilton, Ontario
G0Campbell Donovan   (W)5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg)JrBishop DwengerFort Wayne, IN
G2Aaron Thompson6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg)JrPaul VI CatholicGlenn Dale, MD
F10Bryce Nze6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg)RS JrArrowhead (Milwaukee)Hartland, WI
F1Jordan Tucker6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg)JrWheeler (Duke)White Plains, NY
F33Bryce Golden6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)245 lb (111 kg)SoSt. James SchoolWinchester, VA
F24Markeese Hastings6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg)RS FrGodwin HeightsWyoming, MI
F30Mike Parker (W)  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg)RS FrCoastal ChristianWilmington, NC
G4Khalif Battle6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)175 lb (79 kg)FrTrenton CatholicEdison, NJ
F/C35John-Michael Mulloy6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg)FrCarmelCarmel, IN
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 12, 2018[1]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2019*
7:30 p.m.
IU KokomoW 70–40 
 18  McDermott  7  Tucker  6  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,392)
Indianapolis, IN
November 1, 2019*
7:00 p.m.
IndianapolisW 79–47 
 29  McDermott  11  Nze  5  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,527)
Indianapolis, IN
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2019*
6:30 p.m., FS2
IUPUIW 80–47[2] 1–0
 26  McDermott  11  Nze  9  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,706)
Indianapolis, IN
November 9, 2019*
7:00 p.m., FSN
New OrleansW 79–53[3] 2–0
 18  Nze  10  Nze  10  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,118)
Indianapolis, IN
November 12, 2019*
8:30 p.m., FS1
Minnesota
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 64–56[4] 3–0
 27  Baldwin  8  Nze  3  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,879)
Indianapolis, IN
November 16, 2019*
8:00 p.m., FS2
Wofford
Hall of Fame Classic campus game
W 80–61[5] 4–0
 23  Baldwin  7  Tied  7  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,054)
Indianapolis, IN
November 22, 2019*
7:00 p.m., FS1
Morehead State
CBE Hall of Fame Classic campus game
W 68–50[6] 5–0
 17  Baldwin  8  Baldwin  5  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,707)
Indianapolis, IN
November 25, 2019*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
vs. Missouri
CBE Hall of Fame Classic semifinal
W 63–52[7] 6–0
 13  Tied  7  Nze  7  Thompson Sprint Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 26, 2019*
9:30 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Stanford
CBE Hall of Fame Classic championship
W 68–67[8] 7–0
 22  Baldwin  8  Nze  4  Thompson Sprint Center (8,506)
Kansas City, MO
December 3, 2019*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 24 at Ole MissW 67–58[9] 8–0
 31  Baldwin  7  Nze  3  Tied The Pavilion at Ole Miss (7,348)
Oxford, MS
December 7, 2019*
12:00 p.m., FOX
No. 24 FloridaW 76–62[10] 9–0
 16  Tied  7  McDermott  7  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,303)
Indianapolis, IN
December 10, 2019*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 18 at No. 11 Baylor
Big East/Big 12 Battle
L 52–53[11] 9–1
 19  Baldwin  8  Thompson  3  Baldwin Ferrell Center (7,270)
Waco, TX
December 14, 2019*
12:00 p.m., FS1
No. 18 SouthernW 66–41[12] 10–1
 12  Golden  7  Nze  8  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,635)
Indianapolis, IN
December 21, 2019*
2:30 p.m., BTN
No. 17 vs. Purdue
Crossroads Classic
W 70–61[13] 11–1
 14  Golden  6  Nze  6  Thompson Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,538)
Indianapolis, IN
December 28, 2019*
4:00 p.m., FS1
No. 12 Louisiana–MonroeW 67–36[14] 12–1
 16  Smits  8  Baldwin  6  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,040)
Indianapolis, IN
Big East regular season
December 31, 2019
7:30 p.m., FS1
No. 11 at St. John'sW 60–58[15] 13–1
(1–0)
 19  Baldwin  12  Nze  5  Nze Carnesecca Arena (3,816)
Queens, NY
January 4, 2020
12:00 p.m., FS1
No. 11 CreightonW 71–57[16] 14–1
(2–0)
 20  Baldwin  11  McDermott  2  Tied Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,129)
Indianapolis, IN
January 10, 2020
9:00 p.m., FS1
No. 6 at ProvidenceW 70–58[17] 15–1
(3–0)
 17  Tied  9  Golden  3  Thompson Dunkin' Donuts Center (10,674)
Providence, RI
January 15, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS1
No. 5 No. 18 Seton HallL 70–78[18] 15–2
(3–1)
 19  Baldwin  10  Tucker  6  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,823)
Indianapolis, IN
January 18, 2020
1:00 p.m., FSN
No. 5 at DePaulL 66–79[19] 15–3
(3–2)
 16  Baldwin  8  McDermott  6  Thompson Wintrust Arena (8,967)
Chicago, IL
January 21, 2020
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
No. 13 at No. 9 VillanovaL 61–76[20] 15–4
(3–3)
 21  Baldwin  12  Nze  5  Tied Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 24, 2020
9:00 p.m., FS1
No. 13 MarquetteW 89–85[21] OT16–4
(4–3)
 31  Baldwin  9  McDermott  5  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,204)
Indianapolis, IN
January 28, 2020
9:00 p.m., CBSSN
No. 16 at GeorgetownW 69–64[22] 17–4
(5–3)
 25  McDermott  8  McDermott  6  Baldwin Capital One Arena (5,329)
Washington, D.C.
February 1, 2020
2:00 p.m., FS1
No. 16 ProvidenceL 61–65[23] 17–5
(5–4)
 14  Baldwin  8  Tucker  5  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,132)
Indianapolis, IN
February 5, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS1
No. 19 No. 10 VillanovaW 79–76[24] 18–5
(6–4)
 21  McDermott  8  Tied  3  Tied Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,814)
Indianapolis, IN
February 9, 2020
12:00 p.m., FS1
No. 19 at MarquetteL 57–76[25] 18–6
(6–5)
 23  Baldwin  6  Tied  7  Thompson Fiserv Forum (17,526)
Milwaukee, WI
February 12, 2020
6:30 p.m., CBSSN
No. 19 XavierW 66–61[26] 19–6
(7–5)
 14  McDermott  6  McDermott  5  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,878)
Indianapolis, IN
February 15, 2020
2:30 p.m., FOX
No. 19 GeorgetownL 66–73[27] 19–7
(7–6)
 17  Baldwin  7  McDermott  6  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,158)
Indianapolis, IN
February 19, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS1
No. 21 at No. 16 Seton HallL 72–74[28] 19–8
(7–7)
 20  Baldwin  10  Nze  6  Baldwin Prudential Center (10,481)
Newark, NJ
February 23, 2020
4:00 p.m., FS1
No. 21 at No. 15 CreightonL 59–81[29] 19–9
(7–8)
 13  Baddley  7  Nze  4  Battle CHI Health Center Omaha (18,148)
Omaha, NE
February 29, 2020
6:30 p.m., FS1
DePaulW 60–42[30] 20–9
(8–8)
 13  Tied  8  Baldwin  5  Baldwin Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,234)
Indianapolis, IN
March 4, 2020
7:00 p.m., CBSSN
St. John'sW 77–55[31] 21–9
(9–8)
 16  McDermott  14  McDermott  5  Thompson Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,675)
Indianapolis, IN
March 7, 2020
8:30 p.m., FS1
at XavierW 72–71[32] 22–9
(10–8)
 36  Baldwin  8  Nze  3  Tied Cintas Center 
Cincinnati, OH
Big East tournament
March 12, 2020
2:30 pm, FS1
(5) No. 24 vs. (4) Providence
Quarterfinal
Big East tournament canceledMadison Square Garden 
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[33].

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRV2418171211651316191921RVRV2423
CoachesRVRV2419161110651217192023RV252121

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

Awards

NameAward(s)
Kamar BaldwinPreseason All-Big East First Team[34]
Big East Player of the Week – Jan. 27[35]

See also

2019–20 Butler Bulldogs women's basketball team

References