The men’s basketball team finished with a 15-20 record. Photo by Andrew Buckley.
SAWYER GOLDWEIN | SPORTS CO-EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu
Disappointing.
That is how fans described the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.
Carson Brown, a sophomore psychology and youth community development double major, has been a fan of Butler basketball his entire life. He was left unsatisfied by the Bulldogs’ performance.
“It was a frustrating season of [being] close but not good enough,” Brown said. “When you look at the final record for the season, I don’t think it necessarily paints an entire picture of how the season went, but there needs to be more progress in the right direction because we simply just aren’t there. We aren’t close to being a tournament team.”
Many fans were optimistic going into the 2024-25 season after Butler retained its two top scorers but the excitement quickly dissipated. On Nov. 8, the Dawgs were stunned by Austin Peay in just their second game, a loss that immediately put a dent in morale.
After a six-game winning streak rekindled hope, a blowout loss to eventual national runner-up Houston stopped the momentum. To make matters worse, Butler followed that up with an upset defeat at home against North Dakota State.
Brown felt that the mid-season skid caused supporters to take up a more negative attitude.
“When you sh*t the bed in the middle of the season, you lose the belief of the fans,” Brown said. “There were fans booing our team.”
In both shock losses to mid-major opponents, Butler had opportunities to grab the win, but could not capitalize. One Butler fan known on X as Butler Basketball Guru — who also co-hosts The Bulldog Bark Podcast — feels that the team underperformed.
“Every metric said that we were a better team than our actual record was,” Guru said. “I truly believe that, [but] we just couldn’t close games.”
With frustrating results in each of the past two years, some fans are looking to point the finger, including at the staff.
“At some point you have to blame coaches,” Brown said. “You can’t just throw everything on the players.”
Head coach Thad Matta has wrapped up his third season at the helm in his second stint with the Bulldogs, combining for a 47-53 record in that span.
With Matta and previous head coach LaVall Jordan combining for one trip to the Big Dance in eight years, questions are arising about the often-mentioned culture of the program.
Season ticket holder Ellen Myers does not see the same energy on the court that she used to.
“I feel like [The Butler Way] has been lost,” Myers said. “We see moments of it where it’s like that grit and drive… I feel like Butler always used to be a gritty team that worked and went after the ball, and what made them special was that they really put in effort. There’s no hustle anymore, it feels flat.”
Sophomore sports media major John Chafe concurs and believes that the effect of Butler’s famous runs to the championship has worn off nearly 15 years later.
“The magic of back-to-back Final Four appearances has kind of worn off, especially when most of the players that are playing were toddlers when that happened,” Chafe said. “It’s a historic program and it’s a good selling point for recruits, but until we get different recruits, I don’t think the Butler Way really exists.”
Fortunately, Butler does have the means to pull in high-level prospects.
Jim Derr, a Bulldog fan whose daughter graduated from Butler, feels that the location, atmosphere and history of Butler are enticing.
“I’ve always felt Butler has so many things going for them,” Derr said. “Indianapolis is a great little city, [plus] the history with Hinkle Fieldhouse. You play a Saturday afternoon game and the sun coming through those windows up top, it’s almost like a spiritual experience.”
With some help from Hinkle’s history, Matta and the Dawgs have assembled the No. 18-ranked recruiting class for the upcoming season. Bev Sanders, another season ticket holder, is hopeful that the new crop of talent will mesh well and send the team in the right direction.
“I’ve heard that the recruitment for next year is supposed to be promising,” Sanders said. “Hopefully we get some good players that work well as a team and they’re able to at least get into the upper half of the Big East standings.”
Derr agrees, as he feels that high school recruiting holds immense value in college basketball, leaving teams lost without top-flight young talent.
“In this day and age, you have to get four-star recruits,” Derr said. “I think that’s the name of the game.”
However, it is not easy to win with first-year players playing significant roles. This begs the question of whether fans are willing to sacrifice short-term success in order to prioritize the development of promising young players.
Myers is content to be patient, but understands the risks of relying on first-years to not only develop, but also stay at their original school.
“I’m down to put in the effort now to train those younger players,” Myers said. “As long as we get the payoff at the end, though, but that’s a gamble.”
While the first-years will require patience, the Bulldogs are also bringing in transfers to make an immediate impact, much to the delight of some fans.
Incoming senior guard Jalen Jackson, graduate guard Yame Butler and fifth-year wing Michael Ajayi all bring experience to an otherwise relatively young Bulldog squad. Guru is excited about all the additions, especially Jackson, whose attitude he feels is a good fit for the Dawgs.
“He’s one of those underdog guys,” Guru said. “I think he has a lot to prove. I love his mentality.”
With an esteemed coach and a retooled roster, the Bulldogs will look to get over the hump and snag a long-awaited NCAA tournament bid.
“I’m very optimistic about Butler,” Derr said. “I just wish that there would be so many other people being all-in, particularly alumni. It takes a community.”
