Insider: Butler's mix of transfers finds right chemistry, gives Bulldogs fans hope

Eleven new faces are not supposed to play this well, this quickly.

A team filled with players who were playing at other schools across various levels of basketball this time last year is not supposed to be so connected offensively. The way these Butler Bulldogs set screens, move without the ball, throw timely passes in positions for their teammates to score takes time to develop. The confidence these Bulldogs have in their teammates to take and make big shots doesn't happen overnight.

But the 2023-24 Bulldogs have shown so much growth and togetherness in the past week, we're not sure what the ceiling on this squad is. They've navigated the most difficult stretch of their nonconference schedule about as well as you'd expect a team with so many new players.

Butler vs. Texas Tech player ratings: Telfort, Screen come up big in OT win

It's clear coach Thad Matta's message is getting home to this team in a way it did not last season. Too many times last year's Dawgs failed to show fight as close games slipped away and quickly turned into routs.

These are not those Bulldogs. And teams across the NCAA are starting to notice.

"Coach Matta, man they've got a good team, they really do," Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said after Butler's 103-95 overtime win over the Red Raiders on Thursday. "They got a great offensive team, in such a short amount of time to get all these pieces together. I thought their flow and feel and how they play together is really impressive."

Constant change via the transfer portal is the way of today's game, but building a program with a stable foundation will always be the best way to long-term success. Matta and his staff hit the reset button after a poor first season, and while they may not have landed the most high-profile recruits, these Bulldogs came together with one goal in mind: winning.

There's an unselfishness within the team that allows a new player to shine every game. Michigan State transfer Pierre Brooks II carried the offense over the final two games of the ESPN Events Invitational. Back at home against Texas Tech, the Bulldogs do not win without the play of Northeastern transfer Jahmyl Telfort.

Telfort led Butler with 26 points, but his play in the second half swung the game in the host's favor. His 3-pointer with 25 seconds left put the Dawgs up two. Texas Tech forced overtime, and after a Joe Toussaint jumper put the Red Raiders up one, Telfort calmly sank the dagger 3-pointer on Butler's next possession.

"I think it's the trust of my teammates," Telfort said when asked what allows him to play well in the clutch. "We all put the work in, we all shoot extra shots every day, making sure we get our work in. We all trust each other and so I was wide open, Jalen Thomas made a hell of a pass. I think that was the play of the game."

Thomas corralled a high entry pass from Posh Alexander and kicked out to Telfort for his go-ahead 3 in regulation. Alexander didn't throw many off target passes against Red Raiders en route to Butler's first triple-double since Roosevelt Jones did it in 2016. The way the veteran point guard keeps the ball moving is what makes the offense flow so well.

During one possession midway through the second half, five Bulldogs touched the ball as Andre Screen passed out to Landon Moore, who swung the ball to Connor Turnbull, who passed inside to Alexander who dropped the ball to Telfort for the layup. The execution on the play was flawless and when the ball is moving, every player on offense feels engaged and involved. That's always a recipe for success.

"Just trying to keep everybody happy, getting them the ball in the right spot, letting them see the ball go in the hoop," Alexander said. "Some people don't get the shots that they want. Some people get upset, but on this team there's not a lot of that. ... I will give up shot for me just to give it to my teammate, that's just who I am."

The ability to take a shot and miss, only to have your teammate uplift and support you cannot be taken for granted. Basketball seasons are long and grueling. Having teammates you like makes the season more tolerable, and good teams have great chemistry on and off the court.

Whether they're shooting around before practice or warming up before games, it's easy to see this team enjoys playing together. They enjoy setting the screen that frees up a teammate for an open 3. They enjoy making the extra pass as the defense scrambles to recover, leading to an open shot and another assist in the box score.

"It's chemistry, we all like each other, we all want to play with each other," Telfort said. "Some nights it'll be me, some nights it'll be D.J. (Davis), some nights it'll be Posh. It's always the next man, and we just want to win, to be honest with you. So, we'll do whatever it takes."

Matta said Florida Atlantic's togetherness in the final minutes allowed it to pull out the tournament opener in Orlando. The Owls returned 14 of 15 players on a team that reached the Final Four last season. That group of players went 19-15 before racking up 35 wins last season. That type of growth comes from staying together, and Matta's decision to prioritize transfers with multiple years of eligibility gives Butler a chance to build a solid foundation.

If the Dawgs continue to progress at this rate, at the very least, a winning season should be well within their grasp.

"We got to keep the belief," Matta said. "We got the weekend off and we need time off. Obviously, everybody who played in these events are banged up, and we're banged up.

"But I'd be doing them a disservice if we weren't a better basketball team on Tuesday than we were tonight. ... All the work these guys have put in. This has been a grueling stretch. We've gotten better and for us to sit back and say, 'hey we're there.' We're not even close to getting there."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball beats Texas Tech: Chemistry right, transfers fit