Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: 2017-18 player grades for the Bulldogs

By Lukas Harkins

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Martin
DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: Martin /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 16: Head coach LaVall Jordan of the Butler Bulldogs looks on against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the first half of the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

Head Coaching

. Head Coach. 21-14 (9-9 Big East). LAVALL JORDAN. A-

There was a reason why Butler was picked to finish eighth in the Big East in the preseason. The team had graduated a ton of talent and lost their top-tier head coach to (the) Ohio State. It was a tumultuous offseason for the Bulldogs and there were many questions surrounding new head coach LaVall Jordan. Considering he only had one prior year of head coaching experience, there were a lot of doubters regarding the hire.

Yet, with the season over, it hard to look back and say Jordan was not extremely successful in his first year at the helm. First things first, he brought the program to the NCAA Tournament once again. Considering the losses of players such as Andrew Chrabascz and Tyler Lewis, this was no easy feat. In addition, he played an instrumental role in pushing Kelan Martin to be a more effective scorer in his senior year.

Jordan picked up right where the great coaches that preceded him left off. While it will take some time to decide whether or not Jordan is a great program manager (this comes down to recruiting and the results that follow), he is certainly off to a good start. As of now, there is no reason to believe that the Bulldogs are going to take a step back any time soon.

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All in all, this was yet another solid season for Butler basketball. The preseason expectations were not incredibly high and they were surpassed with a Round of 32 appearance. Can the program build on this and once again reach the Big Dance next year?