Big East Basketball: Way-too-early conference power rankings for 2020-21
By Brian Foley
9. Butler Bulldogs
2019-20: 22-9 (10-8), 5th in Big East
Key Departures: G Kamar Baldwin, G/F Sean McDermott, G/F Jordan Tucker*, G Henry Baddley, C Derrik Smits, G Khalif Battle
Incoming Freshmen: F Scooby Johnson, F Jakobe Coles, G Chuck Harris, G Myles Tate, F Myles Wilmoth
Incoming Transfers: Jair Bolden (South Carolina)
Headline: Are the Baby Bulldogs ready to make an immediate impact?
Star Watch: Aaron Thompson
Who makes The Leap: Bryce Golden
X-Factor: Jair Bolden
The pieces, they are a’moving. Six of the Bulldogs’ 10 rotation players from a year ago are now gone, and a seventh – Christian David – is recovering from a January ACL tear. LaVall Jordan responded by bringing in five freshmen and Bolden, a well-traveled gunner who averaged 8.5 ppg last season for South Carolina.
Betting against Jordan’s club does come with a bit of trepidation. Butler was a near-consensus pick to finish towards the bottom of the conference in 2019-20, and though the ‘Dawgs stumbled after a hot start, they still finished fifth in the Big East and would have comfortably landed a single-digit seed come March. However, it is hard to see Butler overachieving for a second straight season with so few known offensive quantities.
As the only returning rotation perimeter player, a lot of the responsibility left by Kamar Baldwin will fall on Thompson’s shoulders. Thompson cannot shoot a lick – he owns career marks of 22 percent from beyond the arc and 58 percent from the stripe – and his turnover rate leaves something to be desired. Still, he is a superior passer, an effective finisher at the rim, and a stalwart defender. Thompson is certainly more comfortable setting up his teammates, but he’ll need to take control more often as a senior. He did begin to break out of his shell a bit offensively towards the end of the season, as his points per game and shot totals crept upwards down the stretch.
The Bryce Brothers down low – Nze and Golden – are back after starting every game next to each other in 2019-20. Both are excellent offensive rebounders with an adept feel for the game. Butler should expect to get something like 23 points and 14 rebounds per game combined from their starting frontcourt.
However, neither would be described as a floor-spacer and with the bricky Thompson running the point, defenses are going to be absolutely stuffing the paint. (Golden has shown glimmers of stretch-five potential, but is just 11-49 from deep through two years). That lack of spacing puts a lot of pressure on Bolden, who was 41 percent from deep for the Gamecocks last year after shooting just 32 percent over two seasons with George Washington, as well as the untested freshmen (247Sports gives all five froshes a three-star rating, which is admittedly the type of prospect Butler typically flips into an all-conference stud after four years).