The 2016–17 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team represented
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
in the
2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 11, 2016. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic, and ended with the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona on April 3, 2017. Practices officially began on September 30, 20 ...
. Their head coach was
Chris Holtmann
Christopher Adam Holtmann (born November 11, 1971) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at Ohio State University.
Holtmann grew up in Nicholasville, Kentucky, and started his college playing career in-state at ...
, in his third year. The Bulldogs played their home games at
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse (named Butler Fieldhouse from 1928 until 1966) is a basketball arena on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Completed in early 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States until 1950. The ...
and were members of the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
. They finished the regular season 25–9, 12–6 in Big East play to finish in second place. They lost to Xavier in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed in the South Region. They defeated Winthrop and
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the ...
to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they lost to eventual National Champion
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
.
On June 9, 2017, head coach Chris Holtmann left to become the head coach at
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. On June 12, the school hired
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
head coach and Butler alum
LaVall Jordan
LaVall Jurrant Jordan (born April 16, 1979) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach for the Butler Bulldogs. He is a former head coach of Milwaukee, as well as assistant coach at Michigan, Iowa, and Butler. In six ...
as head coach.
Previous season
The
Bulldogs
The Bulldog is a British breed of dog of mastiff type. It may also be known as the English Bulldog or British Bulldog. It is of medium size, a muscular, hefty dog with a wrinkled face and a distinctive pushed-in nose.2015–16 season with a record of 22–11, 10–8 in Big East play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament to Providence. The Bulldogs received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
Off season
Prior to the season, Butler was picked to finish sixth in a poll of Big East coaches. Kelan Martin was named to the preseason All-Big East first team.
Departures
2016 recruiting class
Butler originally signed four recruits in its 2016 class which was hailed as the best recruiting class in Butler history. However, three star point guard, Howard Washington, Jr., and Butler mutually agreed to part ways in April 2016. The class is currently ranked as 45th best in the country by 247Sports.com.
Incoming transfers
Roster
Schedule
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!colspan=12 style=, Exhibition
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!colspan=12 style=, Non-conference Regular Season
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!colspan=9 style=, Big East Conference Play
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!colspan=9 style=", Big East tournament
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!colspan=12 style="background:#11284B; color:#FFFFFF;", NCAA tournament
Rankings
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings