Better Know a Team: Butler

Last Year’s Record: 18-13 (9-11)

Preseason Metrics (last season final):
Torvik: 75 (57)
KenPom: 83 (61)

Coach: Thad Matta, 3rd season (this stint)
I genuinely fear for the man every time he has to come off the bench and hold a TO huddle on the floor. The man looks like he’s about to fall over. I apologize, I shouldn’t poke fun at someone’s medical issues, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Matta in 2024-25. It’s almost unfathomable to believe he’s 17 years younger than Rick Pitino. And I know I’m getting old because when I saw Thad’s age my first reaction was “he’s only 57?!?! He’s still a young man! Too young to be moving like that.” Turning 40 in February is really fucking with my head, especially when my mental age is 23-year-old trust fund kid (I’ve earned all my cash, just the energy I bring on a daily basis).

Thad Matta doing his best Shaka Smart impression

The second thing I think of is Matta’s incredible resume. He’s won 7 conference tournament titles 1 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (who can forget the MCC, amirite?!), 2 in the A-10 with Xavier, and 4 in the B1G with Ohio State. He has 8 regular season titles, including 5 in the B1G with Ohio State. He’s been to the Final Four twice, including as runners-up in 2007 to juggernaut back-to-back Florida Gators squad under PC alum Billy Donovan.

If it wasn’t clear from that paragraph, I think the world of Thad Mata as a coach. If you’re having a conversation about the best coaches to never win a national title, I think Thad Matta is in the conversation, potentially even top-5 (Lou Carnesecca, Huggie Bear, and Mark Few probably my top-3 in some order, but I may be a little homer-ish on Louie).

That said, Thad hasn’t made a tournament in his last 4 seasons of coaching dating back to 2015-16 in Columbus. When you add in the optics described at the start of this section, you have to wonder just a little bit if Thad still has “it.” Personally, I think he does. His tenure at OSU only ended because of his health issues. He improved year over year in his 2 seasons at Buttler. His third year at Ohio St. he went to the national title game, winning 27 regular season games and the B1G tournament along the way. While I’d say a Final Four is an almost 0% chance, is this the year he breaks through and makes the tournament? Remains to be seen, but it wouldn’t be surprising.

Butler Blue III day dreaming of another Final Four…

Rotation:

PG: Kolby King, (Jr.) 6’2” 175 lbs.
SG: Finley Bizjack, (So.) 6’4” 195 lbs.
SF: Pierre Brooks, (Sr.) 6’6” 240 lbs.
PF: Jahmyl Telfort, (Gr.) 6’7” 225 lbs.
C: Andre Screen, (Gr.) 7’1” 255 lbs.

Bench:
Patrick McCaffery, (Gr.) 6’9” 212 lbs. (F)
Boden Kapke, (So.) 6’11” 255 lbs. (C)
Jamie Kaiser Jr., (So.) 6’6” 205 lbs. (G/F)
Landon Moore (Jr.) 6’3” 200 lbs. (G)
Evan Haywood (Fr.) 6’4” 190 lbs. (G)
Colt Langdon (R-Fr.) 6’7” 215 lbs. (F)
Augusto Cassia (So.) 6’8” 220 lbs. (F)

Big Non-Conference Games:

Arizona Tip-Off
11/28, 7pm, CBS Sports - vs. Northwestern (N)
11/29, TBD, CBS Sports - vs. Miss. St. or UNLV (N)

12/7, 5:30pm, ESPN2 - at Houston
Not sure how Butler drew the best team in the Big 12 for the BIG East Big 12 battle, but here we are.

12/14, 2:30pm, B1G Network - vs. Wisc. (Semi-Home)

What’s Old: Elite wing play. Butler returns its 2 leading scorers from a season ago, Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort. Brooks and Telfort is one of the best forward tandems in the league, probably second only to UConn’s one-two punch of McNeely and Karaban. Both Telfort and Brooks made the pre-season All-Big East Second Team. Let’s just let their stats do the talking:

Brooks 2023-24: 32.9 mpg 14.8/4.0/1.1 on 45.6/40.6/69.2, eFG 55.7%, TS 56.9%
Telfort 2023-24: 34.7 mpg 13.9/4.9/3.0 on 43.5/32.7/84.6, eFG 48%, TS 52%

What you have here is two elite wings that complement each other very nice. Brooks the shooter, Telfort more of a slasher who can make a shot when needed. They’ve both proven they can do it at this level, the offense will revolve around them, and there’s not much more that I can add.

There are 6 other returning players for Butler. At center, although only 2 of them saw time last season: Andre Screen and Finley Bizjack. Neither averaged more than 15 minutes. Screen is a 7’1” center who transferred into Butler from Bucknell in 2023. At Butler last year he played 12.9 mpg, posting a line of 5.2/4.5/0.4 pm 58/NA/59.3%. In his limited minutes, Screen generally held his own. However, Screen was rarely on the opposing team’s best big man, as Jalen Thomas got the starts and the lion’s share of the minutes at the 5, with fellow returnee Boden Kapke claiming a few minutes as well.

Jalen Thomas exhausted his eligibility, leaving just Screen and Kapke on the center depth chart. Kapke played just 7 mpg in 22 appearances last season, posting 2 & 2. Per 40 that translates too 11.7 & 9.9. So with more minutes, he should be able to contribute meaningfully on the offensive end. That said, this remains the biggest spot of weakness for Butler, with neither player having demonstrated the ability to truly contribute at the high major level with significant minutes. Center by committee a very real possibility with this duo. Another possibility at the 5 is 6’9” Patrick McCaffrey, more on that below

Junior Landon Moore, who transferred in 2023 from St. Francis (PA) is the only returnee, other than Brooks and Telfort, to have averaged over 15 mpg last season, posting 3.8/1.3/1.3 in 15.8 mpg on 38.1/37.3/75.8 shooting, with eFG of 47.1%. Per 40’s of 9.5/3.3/3.2 also don’t indicate he can be a nice rotation piece, but frankly given the lack of depth in the back court, Butler likely needs Moore to take a huge leap in year 2 with the Bulldogs.

Last, but certainly not least, Brazilian forward Augusto Cassia. The sophomore returns after averaging 0.6/0.9/0.1. That’s it. That’s the paragraph.

What’s New: WELCOME BACK MR. KING! St. John’s legend Kolby King has transferred in from Tulane by way of St. John’s, and figures to be the starting point guard in Indianapolis. King was criminally underutilized by MA during his time in Queens, logging just 7.7 mpg across 26 games.  When Pitino was hired, King decamped for Nawlins, where he became Tulane’s 5th leading scorer, playing starting 22 games for the Green Wave and Ron Hunter.

While seeing a player who suffered at the hands of MA get some redemption is heartwarming, the numbers…are good. Not great, but good. King scored an efficient 10.4/3.6/1.8 on 47.6/37.9/76.2, for an eFG of 56.1% in 27 mpg. That said, a lot is going to be asked of King in a very thin backcourt, including playing point guard. Of course Brooks can handle the ball some, and Landon Moore can come off the bench, but if this team is to make the NCAAT, King is going to have to develop into an quality distributor, something he was not asked to do at Tulane, where he was the tertiary ballhandler in a 3-guard lineup. His assists to turnover ratio last year was 1.8:1.3.

Fran and Patrick in happier times.

Patrick McCaffrey, of the Des Moines McCaffreys, has decided to leave the nest and spread his wings out from under his oppressive father’s thumb, and chose Thad Matta and the Butler Bulldogs. After taking a medical redshirt his first year at Iowa, McCaffery played in 121 games in four seasons, including 60 starts, averaging 21 mpg, 8.6/3.1/1.2 on 42.6/32.6/75 for an eFG of 48.7%. While not the most athletic, he’s definitely crafty, and finds ways to get near the rim. His three point shooting is good enough to keep defense from sagging off him on the perimeter, which could help open things up for the slashers like King and Telfort. The downside to his lack of athleticism is on the defensive end. He posted a 113.6 D-rating last year, 3rd worst on a shitastic defense that ranked 157 on KenPom. There may be some temptation to play him at the 5, but given his disturbing lack of defense, it might be unwise to put him in those situations.

The third and final transfer is Jamie Kaiser, Jr., a transfer from Maryland who played in 33 games for Kevin Willard last season, posting 4.4/2.0/0.2 on 26.9/26.5/77.8, for a horrific 36.3% eFG. At 6’6” 200 lbs. he’s built like a linebacker, so he can definitely provide a physical presence on the wing on the defensive end. He’s also got the pedigree, as he was a 4* recruit, 65th in the class of 2023. He’s reportedly a better shooter than his numbers last year would let you believe. He’s not the most athletic or the quickest, but he manages.

The Dime Store Dunlap

Freshman Colt Langdon was originally class of 2025, but reclassified in August to join the Bulldogs this season. He gives trailer park Brady Dunlap vibes. When Brady gets his heart broken one day and goes through his bad boy phase, he’ll look like Colt Langdon. He clocks in at 151 in the class of 2024, a 3*. A year of seasoning in practice will do him well, which is why it’s already been announced he will redshirt. A good piece for the future nonetheless.

Joining Colt in the class of 2024 is Evan Haywood, a 6’4” guard from Indianapolis. He is a 3*, ranked 286th in the class of 2024. In a thin back court there’s definitely a chance he gets minutes, but I wouldn’t count on it.

The Optimist’s Take: Telfort and Brooks elevate their games even further, and carry the team to the point of 40 points per game. Kolby King seamlessly steps into a full-time PG role, keeps Brooks and Telfort fed and happy, and contributes 10 or so points of his own, with 5 or 6 assists. Thad Matta still has some magic under that bald dome of his, add in a little Hinkle magic, and this is a team that could easily compete for a berth.

The Hater’s Take: Kolby King is NOT ready, he turns the ball over a ton, and you have to lean on Landon Moore and Pierre Brooks for ballhandling. Defensive liabilities at the 5, and to a lesser extent the 4, leave Butler unable to keep up offensively with the better teams in the league. Thinness in the back court could also bite them in the ass if King isn’t ready to be a full-time PG, their guards get in foul trouble, or god forbid they suffer an injury, even a brief one.

Fan Pulse:

I dunno. Whatever it is, it is midwestern nice.

Bottom Line: If there is one team I think can upset a lot of people’s projections for this league, it’s Butler. If the offense clicks, they’ll steal a couple games from the top of the league. But this league can be hell on guards and bigs. And Butler comes in with a PG who has never played full-time point and a thin, and defensively soft front court. To me, that sounds like a recipe for a bottom four finish. I do think this is a team that might improve as the year goes on, and given his history of winning conference championships

Prediction: 14-17 (6-14)