Right or wrong, Butler coach Thad Matta was steadfast in his response.

The longtime coach in his second year back at Butler said the 2023-24 season was a success, even after the disappointing ending at Hinkle Fieldhouse, a 73-72 loss to Minnesota in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday.

"Absolutely, there's no doubt in my mind," Matta said. "Because there's a lot of factors going on in college basketball these days, and we got to get better at some of those factors. There's no doubt about that."

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Before I get to the "factors" Matta is alluding to, on a technical level, yes, the 2023-24 season was a success. Butler improved its record by four wins in Year 2 under Matta. The Bulldogs had great continuity on the court, starting the same starting lineup for 32 of 33 games. All three members of the 2024 recruiting class showed flashes of potential, and the Dawgs have depth behind the starting five to withstand a potential departure or two.

Butler's offense was equal parts exhilarating and maddening to watch throughout the season. The Bulldogs started 10-2 averaging 83.3 points per game. Pierre Brooks II emerged as Butler's go-to scorer, while Jahmyl Telfort became a do-everything two-way force. Butler lost its next three games but only one game — an 86-70 loss at St. John's — could be considered a non-competitive performance, something that plagued the Bulldogs the season prior.

The 69-62 win over then-No. 12 Marquette was one of the high points of the season. Butler looked like a definite NCAA tournament team against the Golden Eagles. A team that could not only make the Big Dance but could hang with the top teams in the Big East. The Bulldogs followed the big win with a deflating loss to Seton Hall. The offense started to show its first signs of weakness, as the Pirates used extended scoring runs to pull ahead in the first half and to close out the game late. Butler fell flat again in an 85-71 loss to Xavier, and it started to look like the preseason prediction of finishing second to last in the league was a realistic possibility.

The Bulldogs rebounded with three wins in a row over DePaul, Georgetown and Villanova, respectively, all games they should've won, but games that weren't guaranteed with how poorly they played heading into the stretch. Then came the highwater mark of the season, the 99-98 win over No. 13 Creighton.

The game was an ode to offensive basketball. Both teams ran their offensive sets to perfection in what was one of the highest-scoring regulation games in Big East history. Butler looked like an offensive juggernaut, and pundits lauded first-year assistant coach Alex Barlow for implementing a pro-style offense. Butler had momentum heading into a season-defining matchup with No. 1 UConn.

While the offensive showcase against the Bluejays was impressive, it also highlighted another one of Butler's fatal flaws — poor defense. Yes, the Bulldogs could score with the best teams in the country, but it wasn't getting the required stops to beat the best teams in the country. Butler followed a loss to UConn with a win over Providence, a win that makes the overtime loss on the road to the Friars sting a little more in hindsight. Still, Butler headed into the home stretch of the season 16-8 overall and 7-6 in the Big East. The Bulldogs were on the tournament bubble, but definitely on the right side of the bubble.

With a postseason berth very much within reach, the bottom of the season fell out. Butler lost its next five games, going from on the bubble to out of the picture. Matta said the pressure of making the tournament was never felt or discussed within the program, but when the season reached crunch time, the Dawgs could elevate their game. A first-round exit in the Big East tournament added another sour note to the season, and Tuesday's NIT loss to Minnesota is one of the worst ways to end a campaign The Bulldogs will have to live with the feeling of letting a winnable game slip away for the entire offseason.

Butler's poor finish is the main reason to view the season as a failure. Yes, the Bulldogs showed improvement. Yes, the program is heading in the right direction, but it's also fair to say this team greatly underperformed.

Getting this team filled with transfers and new players to come together so quickly is a blessing and curse. Pundits picked Butler to finish 10th out of 11 teams in the Big East because they didn't believe Butler's new cast of characters could jell on the fly and play winning basketball. Butler quickly proved them wrong, and the preseason prediction served as fuel to the team's fire. But the strong start rightfully raised the expectations of the team, and as soon as the expectations rose, Butler failed to rise to the occasion.

If Butler wants to return to the upper half of the Big East and contend for conference titles, one of the "factors" Matta said they need to improve in is almost certainly NIL money. The transfer portal has forever changed college basketball and the ability to lure players in a certain direction with NIL reaching high six-figures has turned college basketball into big business. While the exact figure is unknown, Butler doesn't have the biggest NIL pool in the Big East. Butler struck gold once by recruiting experienced mid-major players and a former Big East guard with a point to prove in Posh Alexander. Now Butler has to work to keep these players, as schools with bigger budgets are almost certainly lurking in the shadows.

This offseason will be telling in which direction Butler is heading. If it can retain a majority of its players and head into next season with substantial firepower, a tournament berth should be a very achievable goal. If the Dawgs have to regroup after another mass exodus, then they can expect to stay on a revolving carousel firmly in the middle to bottom of the Big East, perpetually on the bubble.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball's NIT loss, late season dip leaves sour taste