Each of Butler’s last seven trips to the NCAA Tournament have included at least one win during the event and that includes those back-to-back national championship game appearances. That run of prosperity continued when the Bulldogs joined the Big East over a decade ago, though the light has dimmed on this program more recently. Butler hasn’t been in the Big Dance since 2018 and the work since the pandemic hasn’t stood out.
It’s also a program that’s embracing a new direction, with former player Ronald Nored taking over as head coach this season. The last few years saw Thad Matta return to Indianapolis in his attempts to revive the program, though Butler never finished higher than 7th in the Big East and failed to make much headway. Now in his first head coaching gig, Nored is hoping he can be the catalyst for change.
Roster looks different
Unsurprisingly, there’s plenty of change on a Butler roster that lost a handful of players in the offseason. Important players like Finley Bizmack, Evan Haywood, and Jamie Kaiser found new homes in the transfer portal while others like Michael Ajayi saw their careers come to an end. Whether or not you’re expecting immediate success, Nored and his staff quickly busied themselves with filling in those hills through any and all means.
This is far from a clean slate, with a few intriguing players back again this season, but it’s definitely a new era for the program. Nored is hoping that he can have the answers and push Butler back into contention in the Big East and on the national level but it’s going to be a process. We’ll dive into the talent that’s around this season and wonder just when that process will begin.
Projected Starters
Guard – Jalen Jackson (Senior)
An impressive scorer earlier in his career, Jackson came to Butler season, but the veteran point guard’s season ended before it really began. He put up nearly 20 points a game the previous season at Purdue Fort Wayne but a knee injury limited him to just six games with the Bulldogs, putting up 9.5 points and 3.8 assists in that time. Now back on the court, he steps into a major role as a leader and likely the top scorer for Butler this upcoming season.
Guard – Eduardo Klafke (Junior)
A 6-5 guard from Brazil, Klafke transfers in after spending his first two collegiate campaigns at Ole Miss. His work in the SEC didn’t exactly give him a ton of opportunities, including just 4.6 points and 2.5 rebounds in limited minutes last season. However, with that experience and a bigger role the Bulldogs are hoping that he can be a more consistent offensive player now as an upperclassman.
Forward – Asim Djulovic (Freshman)
A 21-year old forward from Serbia, Djulovic was one of the first players brought to Butler by Nored and this new staff and they’re certainly excited about his potential. He adds an international fair to this lineup and projects to be a very solid scorer on the wing and rebounder all over the court. We’ll see how he transitions to the college game but he should get plenty of chances for big minutes in this lineup.
Forward – Treyson Anderson (Junior)
Anderson is a 6-10 forward from Lincoln, Nebraska who heads to Butler after previous work with North Dakota State. After limited production as a freshman, he took a big step forward last year, averaging 10.4 points and 5.3 rebounds during what became a great season for the Bison, an NCAA Tournament team. Anderson has nice size and shot making ability and hopes to help spur the Bulldogs into the postseason as well.
Center – Drayton Jones (Senior)
As an underclassman at South Carolina State, Jones was the best shot blocker in the MEAC before transferring to Butler last offseason. He was the team’s full-time starter at the 5, putting up 6.3 points and 4.6 rebounds. The Houston native has another year in this system and Nored and company are hoping he can blossom into an even more productive scorer and shot blocker in the paint.
Key Reserves
Forward – Herly Brutus (Freshman)
A notable freshman addition, Brutus is a 4-star shooting guard from Florida who chose the Bulldogs over a boatload of other offers. You’ll find him playing meaningful minutes at the wing at some point thanks to his size and athleticism. He should develop into a capable scorer who can defend, though it’s uncertain how major his role will be right off the bat.
Guard – Jordan Ellerbee (Sophomore)
Freshman year was very productive for Ellerbe, who did his initial work largely as a starter at Florida Gulf Coast. Named to the Altantic Sun’s All-Freshman team, Ellerbe averaged 13.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and now becomes a key piece of the Butler backcourt. He could very well compete for that starting guard spot next to Jackson, especially if he can keep working on his long-range game.
Forward – Christian Moore (Senior)
Yet another new piece of the puzzle, Moore joins the Bulldogs after three years out at The Citadel. The Los Angeles native is fresh off his best season, averaging 11.2 points and 3.1 rebounds largely as a starter while making 38% of his 3-pointers. How his game translates from the Southern Conference into the Big East remains to be seen but he brings experience and a shooting touch to this lineup.
Forward – Samis Calderon (Sophomore)
It’s all about the potential for Calderon because we didn’t see him on the court very much as a freshman. He’s a forward originally from Brazil who also played at Overtime Elite before heading to Kansas, getting just 6 points and 12 rebounds in a season where he played sparingly. His size and length are revered and he should certainly get far more chances here than with the Jayhawks.
Forward – Marko Maric (Freshman)
Maric is a 7-footer from Croatia who might become one of the more underrated additions of this offseason. Despite his size, Maric isn’t your typical big man, as he can step outside the arc and also handle the basketball. The initial role is uncertain, as Maric is still a young prospect and adjusting to the college game, though he could develop into a very unique piece in this offense.
Guard – Samu Adler (Freshman)
There’s one more international prospect worth talking about in this new-look lineup and Adler certainly hopes people remember him. A 6-6 shooting guard from Finland, he was tough and impressive in pro leagues in Europe and now gets his chance to prove his shot-making ability and physicality in the Big East.
Schedule Outlook
Perhaps smartly by design, it’s not exactly a murderer’s row of a nonconference schedule for the Bulldogs, though there are some challenges surrounding a sea of home games. They’ll hit the road pretty quickly for a November 8th date at Boise State and welcome ACC member Pittsburgh to town just a few days later. The Bulldogs later head to Chicago for the Bad Boy Mowers Series and a tough matchup against Nebraska.
December is where Big East play begins, but there’s two more nonconference games worth mentioning first. December 6th is perhaps the toughest test with a true road game at North Carolina. After potential misery in Chapel Hill, the Bulldogs have another road game at Providence in a quick peek of Big East play before the Indy Classic and a December 19 matchup with Georgia Tech.
Butler gets two shots at every team in the Big East across more than two months and this is really where this team can prove itself. They won’t be favored in a ton of these games, but at least get a ton of home games early, welcoming both UConn and St. John’s to town in the opening weeks of conference play. We’ll learn a lot about this new squad leading up to the season finale at home against Seton Hall on March 6th.
Season Outlook
We’re going to be completely frank in saying that many people expect Butler to finish last place in the Big East this season. Obviously, nobody in Indianapolis is just going to accept this and these Bulldogs could certainly surprise some people, especially with some of these additions.
A healthy Jackson is a great start for the Bulldogs, who really need their veteran point guard to be a leader for the rest of this team. Both Ellerbee and Klafke have playmaking ability and both probably will get significant run in this backcourt as well. The lack of depth beyond that may seem a bit concerning, especially is injury issues pop up again for this team.
The international players are certainly ones that could surprise and help lead this team beyond those expectations. There’s a lot of excitement about what Djulovic can provide on both sides of the ball while Maric’s size and versatility make him one of the most intriguing offseason additions in the conference. The Bulldogs are really hoping that Jones can take a big step forward as a senior while hoping for real contributions from transfers Calderon and Moore.
Absolutely nothing has been set in stone about this Butler team. The Bulldogs may not have comparable talent to the top teams in the Big East but can absolutely surprise people if everything goes right in the months ahead. We’ll quickly learn about Nored in his head coaching debut and how his new combination of talent gels as the Bulldogs look to make a statement and try to prove that they are no longer an afterthought.
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