It certainly was not an NCAA title or even a Big East championship, but Butler’s victory in the Arizona Tip-Off on November 29 was important for the program. It also was pretty cool, too, as the Bulldogs took home a championship belt as a prize. Butler coach Thad Matta happily chuckled at the victor’s hardware, but the result was no laughing matter. “For us to go out there and get two wins was big for us,” Matta told HoopsHQ in a phone interview on Monday.
After edging Northwestern 71-69 on November 28, Butler defeated then-No. 25 Mississippi State 87-77 in Tempe to earn the program’s first in-season multi-team event championship since 2019. The victory continued the Bulldogs’ good start, improving them to 6-1 and helped offset the disappointing 68-66 home loss to Austin Peay on November 8.
Fifth-year forward Jahmyl Telfort earned tournament MVP honors by averaging 23.5 points per game during the event. The 6-foot-7 forward, a second-team preseason Big East selection, is averaging 17.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists on the season. “He’s a poster child for what hard work and commitment is about,” Matta said, citing Telfort’s daily morning regimen of extra jumpers and dedication to nutrition and fitness.
“The bottom line is he’s a winner,” Matta said. “The kid just wants to win. That’s all he’s about. That’s what I love about him.”
Telfort’s extra shooting work has paid off in a big way this season. A career 31.1 percent (134 of 431) three-point shooter entering 2024-25, including three seasons at Northeastern and last season at Butler, the Montreal native has connected on 46.4 percent (13 of 28) from beyond the arc through seven games this season. His sharpshooting has helped the Bulldogs to a 42.7 percent mark from long range as a team, which ranked sixth nationally through December 1. Conversely, Butler has held opponents to a 24.7 percent mark from beyond the arc, which ranks fifth in the country. Those numbers are a winning combination, for sure.
“That sounds good,” Matta said when told of those statistics.
Offensively, Pierre Brooks II has made a team-best 48.4 percent (15 of 31) from the arc while Iowa transfer Patrick McCaffery is close behind at 47.5 percent (19 of 40). “We’ve spent a lot of time with our shooting from the offseason and I’m happy to see it going up,” said Matta, whose team shot 35.5 percent from three-point range in 2023–24. “The biggest thing that I like is we’re taking good ones. That’s probably, if anything, helped our percentage by taking the best shots we can possibly get. That’s been a huge emphasis for our offense this year.
“Defensively, we’re longer this year. We had games last year where teams just lit us up from the three-point line. It’s probably a little bit more of a heightened awareness at this juncture, making our guys aware of just being there and trying not to give up catch-and-shoots. Hopefully, we can continue it.”
While the outside shooting and defense have been good, Matta would like the Bulldogs to cut down on their 13.9 turnovers per game. He’s also looking for improvement in team rebounding. What he likes, though, in addition to the aforementioned numbers, is the Bulldogs’ approach and mentality.
“The one thing I’ve liked about this group is they’ve allowed themselves to be coachable,” he said. “They’ve done a really good job of honing in.”
The Bulldogs’ mettle will be tested in a pair of upcoming Saturday road trips against ranked foes, December 7 at No. 17 Houston and December 14 at No. 11 Wisconsin. Matta is just looking for continued improvement.
“My thing with these guys, and they hear it every single day,” Matta said, “is I just want to get better today than we were yesterday and sort of let the chips fall where they may.”
Highs and Lows from Around the League
Here’s an alphabetical team-by-team look at both. Team records are through December 2, and individual statistics are through December 1.
Butler (6-1)
Highs: Jahmyl Telfort scored 24 points, making 8 of 15 field goals, to earn tournament MVP honors in Butler’s 87-77 win over then-No. 25 Mississippi State in the championship game of the Arizona Tip-Off. … The Bulldogs are fifth in the country in three-point defense (24.7 percent), and sixth in three-point offense (42.7 percent). … Transfers Patrick McCaffery (Iowa) and Kolby King (Tulane) have had an immediate impact. McCaffery is averaging 12.6 points and 4.3 rebounds, and King is contributing 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.
Low: The Bulldogs lost 68-66 at home to Austin Peay, which is ranked No. 229 in KenPom, on November 8. They couldn’t come back from a 14-point deficit with 15:59 remaining and were hurt by shooting 7 of 25 from three-point range.
Creighton (5-3)
Highs: Ryan Kalkbrenner, the Big East preseason player of the year, scored 49 points in the Bluejays’ 99-86 season-opening win over Texas Rio Grande on November 6. He made 20 of 22 field goals and added 11 rebounds. … Greg McDermott became the winningest coach in program history with victory No. 328 in a 78-43 rout of Houston Christian on November 13.
Lows: After dropping the battle of the state with a 74-63 home loss to Nebraska on November 22, the Bluejays opened the Las Vegas Players Era Festival with consecutive defeats to San Diego State (71-53) and Texas A&M (77-73) on November 26 and 27, respectively, before rebounding with an 80-76 win over Notre Dame in the finale on November 30. … Ranked as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press poll, Creighton dropped out of the Top 25 on December 2.
DePaul (7-0)
Highs: In the season opener against Southern Indiana on November 4, Jacob Meyer hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, where the Blue Demons ultimately prevailed 80-78. … Meyer, a transfer from Coastal Carolina, is one of three double-digit scorers for DePaul, at 14.7 points per contest. Illinois Chicago transfer Isaiah Rivera leads the team at 14.9 while Indiana transfer CJ Gunn averages 10.0. … Chris Holtmann is the first coach to debut with seven wins to start a season since Ray Meyer did it to open the 1942–43 season.
Low: The Blue Demons’ schedule hasn’t exactly been tough, so it’s challenging to gauge exactly how improved they are. All seven contests have been at home, with the wins over the following programs: Southern Indiana, Prairie View A&M, Mercer, Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and Valparaiso.
Georgetown (7-1)
Highs: Rookie Thomas Sorber debuted with 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Hoyas’ 85-77 win over Lehigh on November 6 and has followed that up with two more double-doubles in an eye-opening start to his career. … Transfers Micah Peavy (TCU) and Malik Mack (Harvard) have done well in the scoring column, averaging 15.9 and 13.0 points, respectively.
Low: Following Georgetown’s 82-65 win over St. Francis on November 23, coach Ed Cooley made national headlines when referring to Jayden Epps’s development since transferring from Illinois, which Cooley called “…that other bull—- school.”
Marquette (8-0)
Highs: The Golden Eagles ended then-No. 6 Purdue’s 39-game nonconference winning streak with a 76-58 victory in Milwaukee on November 19. Kam Jones had a triple-double against the Boilermakers, with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. … Jones opened the season by netting his fifth career game of 30-plus points, with 32 in a 102-62 victory over Stony Brook on November 4. … David Joplin scored 29 points in an 80-69 win over Georgia in The Bahamas on November 23.
Lows: N/A
Providence (5-3)
High: Bryce Hopkins, a Big East first-team preseason selection, is reportedly nearing his return from a knee injury suffered January 3, 2024 that ended his season. … Jayden Pierre averaged 17.3 points in three Battle 4 Atlantis games in The Bahamas.
Lows: After opening with five home victories against overmatched opponents, Providence dropped all three of its contests in the Battle 4 Atlantis, losing 79-77 to Oklahoma on November 27, 69-58 to Davidson on November 28, and 89-73 to then-No. 14 Indiana on November 29. Against the Sooners, Providence’s 16 turnovers led to 23 Oklahoma points. Davidson was picked 12th of 15 teams in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
Seton Hall (4-4)
Highs: Chaunce Jenkins scored 22 points and Isaiah Coleman had 12 points and 10 rebounds in Seton Hall’s 69-66 overtime win over VCU on November 21 in Charleston, S.C. The Rams were picked first in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. … The Pirates’ defense was on display in a big way in a 54-28 victory over Wagner on November 16, a game in which they held the Seahawks to 23.4 percent (11 of 46) shooting.
Lows: The Pirates have lost three games to mid-major programs, including an embarrassing 63-51 home defeat to previously winless Monmouth on November 30. The Hawks, who were picked eighth of 14 teams in the Coastal Athletic Association preseason poll, hadn’t won in 15 previous tries against Seton Hall and entered 0-8 on the season. … Seton Hall dropped a 57-56 decision to Fordham at its on-campus home, Walsh Gym, on November 9. The Rams were picked 14th of 15 teams in the A-10 preseason poll. … The Pirates also fell 49-48 to Hofstra on November 13 on a neutral court in Uniondale, N.Y.
St. John’s (6-2)
Highs: RJ Luis Jr. had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in an 85-71 victory over New Mexico on November 17 at Madison Square Garden in a matchup between coaching father (Rick Pitino) and son (Richard Pitino). … Five days later, Utah transfer Deivon Smith also nearly had a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists, in an 80-55 win over Virginia.
Lows: St. John’s went a disappointing 1-2 on a trip to The Bahamas, splitting a pair of games with Baylor and Georgia in the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Classic before a 66-63 loss to Georgia on November 24 to conclude the trip there. Against Baylor, the Red Storm suffered a heartbreaking 99-98 overtime loss. Zuby Ejiofor was terrific in the contest, with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks, but missed a pair of free throws with 4.1 seconds left that would’ve sealed the victory. Baylor’s Jeremy Roach hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer.
UConn (5-3)
Highs: Solo Ball had a team-high 12 points as UConn stretched its home nonconference winning streak to 31 consecutive games with an 81-46 victory over East Texas A&M on November 19. … Rookie Liam McNeeley is third on the team in scoring at 12.5 points per contest, behind Ball (12.8) and Alex Karaban (15.9). Michigan transfer Taris Reed Jr. has played well, contributing 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per contest.
Lows: The Huskies plummeted from No. 2 to No. 25 in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll after losing all three games in the Maui Invitational, beginning with a 99-97 overtime loss to Memphis on November 25. Coach Dan Hurley received a technical foul in overtime that proved pivotal and drew criticism nationally for the coach’s sideline antics directed at officials. UConn followed that up with a 73-72 loss to Colorado on November 26 before dropping an 85-67 decision to Dayton on November 27, a game in which McNeeley went scoreless in 29 minutes while missing all nine of his shots after scoring 30 points in the first two games in Hawaii. Hurley told reporters upon the team’s return to Connecticut that he wouldn’t schedule another three-day multi-team event.
Villanova (4-4)
Highs: Fifth-year forward Eric Dixon leads the Big East in scoring at 25.1 points per contest, helped by 38-point outburst against Maryland on November 24 in Newark, N.J. Dixon also ranks ninth in the league in rebounding with 6.6 boards per contest. … Villanova routed Penn 93-49 on November 19, and beat Rider 72-48 on November 27. Against the Broncs, Villanova scored 26 points off 17 Rider turnovers and used a 16-0 run that spanned both halves to take control.
Lows: The Wildcats lost to Columbia 90-80 at home on November 6, a game in which the Lions shot 53.7 percent from the field, netted 21 points off 12 Villanova turnovers, and had a 27-9 advantage in fastbreak points. .. Villanova also suffered its fourth straight defeat in the Philadelphia Big 5 when they fell 83-76 at Saint Joseph’s on November 12. Between the 2004–05 season until coach Jay Wright’s surprise retirement following the 2022 season, Villanova won 60 of 68 games in the Big 5, which also is comprised of La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph’s, Temple, and, beginning in 2023–24, Drexel. … Coach Kyle Neptune is under pressure to return to the NCAA tournament after missing out in each of the last two seasons since replacing Wright.
Xavier (7-1)
Highs: After missing the final 15 games of the 2022–23 season and all of last season with a foot injury/surgery, Zach Freemantle has played well thus far in his return, averaging 15.6 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds. … Freemantle led five Musketeers in double figures with 16 points in a 75-66 win over South Carolina on November 25. … Ryan Conwell had 21 points in a 75-60 home victory over Wake Forest on November 16.
Lows: Xavier was routed by Michigan, 78-53, in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on November 27.
Games to Watch (All times ET)
DePaul at Texas Tech, 9 p.m., Wednesday, ESPNU: Coach Chris Holtmann has brought some good vibes back to the program with a 7-0 start, but DePaul’s competition hasn’t been great. A road test against a good Red Raiders team will tell more about where the Blue Demons are–and where they might be headed.
No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 5 Marquette, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., FOX: Marquette already knocked off one Big Ten power this season by defeating Purdue. The Golden Eagles will be looking to do it again in a match of arguably the top two teams in their respective conference.
No. 25 UConn at Texas, 5 p.m., Sunday, ESPN: UConn will return on the road for the first time since dropping all three games in a November trip to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. The backcourt matchup of the Longhorns’ Tre Johnson and UConn’s Solo Ball should be worth the price of admission.
Xavier at Cincinnati, 2 p.m., Dec. 14, ESPN+: One of the best local rivalries in the country, the battle of Cincinnati should bring out the best in the two teams. More than just bragging rights are on the line, as a victory will help the winner move up in the all-important computer metrics.
Georgetown at Syracuse, Dec. 14, 2:30 p.m., ACCN: Neither team is the dominant program it once was, but the college basketball world will be focused on this matchup of former top Big East rivals. An open seat should be left on the respective benches for Jim Boeheim and John Thompson.
Aaron Bracy has covered sports for the Associated Press and several other outlets for nearly three decades. His website, Big5Hoops.com, is a leading voice for coverage of the Philadelphia Big 5. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), will be available wherever books are sold on March 1, 2025. It can be preordered by clicking HERE. Follow Bracy on social media by clicking HERE. Contact him by email: aaron@big5hoops.com.
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