2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 16th year, the Wildcats participated in the Big East Conference and played their home games at The Pavilion, with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They finished the season 32–4, 15–3 in Big East play to win the regular season championship. In the Big East tournament, they defeated St. John's, Seton Hall, and Creighton to win the tournament championship.[1] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Wildcats were given the Tournament's overall No. 1 seed as a No. 1 seed in the East region. In the First Round they defeated Mount St. Mary's before being upset by No. 8-seeded Wisconsin in the Second Round.[2][3] The loss marked the second time in the previous three tournaments that Villanova was upset by an eighth-seeded team.

2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 1
Record32–4 (15–3 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaThe Pavilion
Wells Fargo Center
Seasons
2016–17 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Villanova 15 3   .833 32 4   .889
No. 21 Butler 12 6   .667 25 9   .735
Creighton 10 8   .556 25 10   .714
Seton Hall 10 8   .556 21 12   .636
Providence 10 8   .556 20 13   .606
Marquette 10 8   .556 19 13   .594
Xavier 9 9   .500 24 14   .632
Saint John's 7 11   .389 14 19   .424
Georgetown 5 13   .278 14 18   .438
DePaul 2 16   .111 9 23   .281
2017 Big East tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The season marked the final season for The Pavilion before its temporary closure for a $60 million renovation project.[4] It reopened for the 2018–19 season with the new name of Finneran Pavilion after a Villanova alum who donated $22.6 million to Villanova.[5][6] All home games for the 2017–18 season were played at the Wells Fargo Center.[7]

Previous season

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The Wildcats finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 35–5, 16–2 in Big East play to win the Big East regular season championship. In the Big East tournament they defeated Georgetown and Providence, but lost to Seton Hall in the championship game.[8] The Wildcats received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, being awarded the No. 2 seed in the South Region. Villanova defeated UNC Asheville and Iowa to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. In the Sweet Sixteen, they defeated Miami and upset overall No. 1 seed Kansas in the Elite Eight to advance to the fifth Final Four in school history.[9] In the Final Four, the Wildcats defeated Oklahoma to advance to the school's third National Championship game.[10][11] In the National Championship game, they defeated No. 1 seed North Carolina to earn the second NCAA Championship title in school history, the first since 1985.[12][13]

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ryan Arcidiacono 15 PG 6'3" 195 Senior Langhorne, Pennsylvania Graduated
Patrick Farrell 20 SF 6'5" 200 Senior Rockville Centre, New York Graduated
Henry Lowe 0 PG 5'11" 185 Senior New York, New York Graduated
Daniel Ochefu 23 PF 6'11" 245 Senior Lagos, Nigeria Graduated
Kevin Rafferty 52 SF 6'8" 215 Senior Malvern, Pennsylvania Graduated

2016 signing class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Omari Spellman
No. 3 PF
North Royalton, OH MacDuffie School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 272 lb (123 kg) Feb 20, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Dylan Painter
No. 29 C
Hershey, PA Hershey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sep 16, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.

Future recruits

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2017–18 team recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree
PF
Philadelphia, PA Neumann-Goretti High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 5, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jermaine Samuels
SF
Franklin, MA The Rivers School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Collin Gillespie
PG
Warminster, PA Archbishop Wood Catholic High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jan 14, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

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Prior to the season, Villanova was picked to win the Big East in a poll of Big East coaches.[14] Josh Hart was named preseason Big East Player of the Year. Kris Jenkins was named to the All-Big East first team and Jalen Brunson received an Honorable Mention.[14]

Roster

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Pregame team huddle
2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Jalen Brunson 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Stevenson High School Lincolnshire, Illinois
F 2 Kris Jenkins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Gonzaga College High School Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G 3 Josh Hart 6 ft 5.5 in (1.97 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Sidwell Friends School Silver Spring, Maryland
F 4 Eric Paschall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Fordham Dobbs Ferry, New York
G 5 Phil Booth 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Mount Saint Joseph High School Baltimore, Maryland
G 10 Donte DiVincenzo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Salesianum School Wilmington, Delaware
F 14 Omari Spellman (I)   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Fr St. Thomas More School (CT) North Royalton, Ohio
F 24 Tom Leibig 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Haverford High School Havertown, Pennsylvania
G/F 25 Mikal Bridges 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Great Valley High School Malvern, Pennsylvania
F 34 Tim Delaney 6 ft 8.5 in (2.04 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Blair Academy Mullica Hill, New Jersey
G 35 Matt Kennedy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Flint Hill School Fairfax, Virginia
G 40 Denny Grace 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Calvert Hall College High School Catonsville, Maryland
F 42 Dylan Painter 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Hershey High School Hershey, Pennsylvania
F 45 Darryl Reynolds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Worcester Academy Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Late season starting 5 huddle
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 5, 2016*
12:00 pm
No. 4 IUP W 94–49  0–0
 27  Hart   8  Reynolds   5  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (5,617)
Philadelphia, PA
Non-conference regular season
November 11, 2016*
6:30 pm, FS2
No. 4 Lafayette W 84–44  1–0
 17  Brunson   8  Tied   4  Bridges  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
November 14, 2016*
7:00 pm, BTN
No. 3 at No. 15 Purdue
Gavitt Tipoff Games
W 79–76  2–0
 24  Hart   8  Reynolds   4  Brunson  Mackey Arena (14,846)
West Lafayette, IN
November 17, 2016*
11:30 am, ESPN2
No. 3 vs. Western Michigan
Charleston Classic quarterfinals
W 76–65  3–0
 17  Paschall   8  Hart   4  Hart  TD Arena (4,125)
Charleston, SC
November 18, 2016*
1:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 3 vs. Wake Forest
Charleston Classic semifinals
W 96–77  4–0
 30  Hart   7  Bridges   6  Brunson  TD Arena (4,020)
Charleston, SC
November 20, 2016*
9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 3 vs. UCF
Charleston Classic championship game
W 67–57  5–0
 15  Hart   6  Reynolds   4  Bridges  TD Arena (4,325)
Charleston, SC
November 23, 2016*
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 2 College of Charleston W 63–47  6–0
 13  Hart   11  Hart   3  Tied  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
November 29, 2016*
7:00 pm, CSN
No. 2 at Penn
Philadelphia Big 5
W 82–57  7–0
 22  Jenkins   8  Reynolds   9  Hart  The Palestra (7,787)
Philadelphia, PA
December 3, 2016*
1:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 2 Saint Joseph's
Philadelphia Big 5
W 88–57  8–0
 20  Jenkins   11  Hart   10  Hart  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
December 6, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 1 vs. La Salle
Philadelphia Big 5
W 89–79  9–0
 26  Brunson   8  Hart   3  Brunson  The Palestra (7,120)
Philadelphia, PA
December 10, 2016*
12:00 pm, CBS
No. 1 vs. No. 23 Notre Dame
Never Forget Tribute Classic
W 74–66  10–0
 37  Hart   11  Hart   4  Hart  Prudential Center (18,722)
Newark, NJ
December 13, 2016*
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 1 Temple
Philadelphia Big 5
W 78–57  11–0
 26  Hart   6  Jenkins   6  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
December 21, 2016*
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 1 American W 90–48  12–0
 20  Hart   7  Tied   6  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
December 28, 2016
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 1 DePaul W 68–65  13–0
(1–0)
 25  Hart   7  Bridges   6  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
December 31, 2016
1:00 pm, FS1
No. 1 at No. 10 Creighton W 80–70  14–0
(2–0)
 27  Brunson   10  Hart   5  Brunson  CenturyLink Center (18,831)
Omaha, NE
January 4, 2017
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 1 at No. 18 Butler L 58–66  14–1
(2–1)
 23  Brunson   8  Hart   3  Hart  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,206)
Indianapolis, IN
January 7, 2017
7:30 pm, FS1
No. 1 Marquette W 93–81  15–1
(3–1)
 23  Jenkins   5  Tied   7  Hart  Wells Fargo Center (16,891)
Philadelphia, PA
January 10, 2017
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 3 No. 15 Xavier W 79–54  16–1
(4–1)
 20  Tied   6  Tied   6  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
January 14, 2017
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 3 at St. John's W 70–57  17–1
(5–1)
 19  DiVincenzo   8  Reynolds   4  Brunson  Madison Square Garden (17,309)
New York, NY
January 16, 2017
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 1 Seton Hall
MLK Day Marathon
W 76–46  18–1
(6–1)
 16  Jenkins   9  Reynolds   6  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
Jan 21, 2017
12:00 pm, FOX
No. 1 Providence W 78–68  19–1
(7–1)
 25  Hart   10  Reynolds   6  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (18,731)
Philadelphia, PA
January 24, 2017
8:00 pm, FS1
No. 1 at Marquette L 72–74  19–2
(7–2)
 20  Bridges   8  Hart   4  Brunson  BMO Harris Bradley Center (14,210)
Milwaukee, WI
January 29, 2017*
1:00 pm, FOX
No. 1 No. 12 Virginia W 61–59  20–2
 15  Tied   5  Tied   4  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (20,907)
Philadelphia, PA
February 1, 2017
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 4 at Providence W 66–57  21–2
(8–2)
 21  Brunson   9  Reynolds   5  Brunson  Dunkin' Donuts Center (11,999)
Providence, RI
February 4, 2017
8:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 4 St. John's W 92–79  22–2
(9–2)
 26  Hart   9  Hart   5  Hart  Wells Fargo Center (18,562)
Philadelphia, PA
February 7, 2017
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 2 Georgetown W 75–64  23–2
(10–2)
 25  Hart   7  Tied   4  Brunson  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
February 11, 2017
2:30 pm, FOX
No. 2 at No. 24 Xavier W 73–57  24–2
(11–2)
 17  Tied   7  Hart   7  Brunson  Cintas Center (10,558)
Cincinnati, OH
February 13, 2017
9:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 2 at DePaul W 75–62  25–2
(12–2)
 18  Brunson   8  Jenkins   4  Brunson  Allstate Arena (6,963)
Rosemont, IL
February 18, 2017
12:30 pm, FOX
No. 2 at Seton Hall W 92–70  26–2
(13–2)
 22  Tied   4  Tied   10  Brunson  Prudential Center (16,733)
Newark, NJ
February 22, 2017
9:00 pm, FS1
No. 2 No. 22 Butler L 66–74  26–3
(13–3)
 24  Brunson   6  Tied   2  Tied  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
February 25, 2017
3:00 pm, FOX
No. 2 No. 23 Creighton W 79–63  27–3
(14–3)
 19  Paschall   8  Bridges   3  Tied  The Pavilion (6,500)
Villanova, PA
March 4, 2017
12:08 pm, FOX
No. 2 at Georgetown W 81–55  28–3
(15–3)
 21  Hart   7  Tied   3  Hart  Verizon Center (15,143)
Washington, D.C.
Big East tournament
March 9, 2017
12:00 pm, FS1
(1) No. 2 vs. (8) St. John's
Quarterfinals
W 108–67  29–3
 25  DiVincenzo   6  Tied   6  Jenkins  Madison Square Garden (17,324)
New York, NY
March 10, 2017
6:30 pm, FS1
(1) No. 2 vs. (5) Seton Hall
Semifinals
W 55–53  30–3
 19  Hart   10  Hart   2  Brunson  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
March 11, 2017
5:30 pm, FOX
(1) No. 2 vs. (6) Creighton
Championship
W 74–60  31–3
 29  Hart   8  DiVincenzo   5  Brunson  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
Mar. 16*
7:10 pm, TBS
(1 E) No. 1 vs. (16 E) Mount St. Mary's
First Round
W 76–56  32–3
 21  DiVincenzo   13  DiVincenzo   3  Brunson  KeyBank Center (17,619)
Buffalo, NY
Mar. 18*
2:40 pm, CBS
(1 E) No. 1 vs. (8 E) No. 25 Wisconsin
Second Round
L 62–65  32–4
 19  Hart   7  Bridges   2  Divencenzo  KeyBank Center (19,261)
Buffalo, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP4 (4)3 (5)2 (21)2 (20)1 (57)1 (56)1 (56)1 (56)1 (59)3 (1)1 (28)1 (35)4 (4)2 (6)2 (5)2 (5)2 (2)1 (59)1 (59)Not released
Coaches3 (1)3 (2)2 (4)2 (5)1 (28)1 (28)1 (28)1 (27)1 (30)3 (1)2 (4)2 (11)4 (1)2 (4)2 (3)3 (5)3 (5)1 (27)1 (27)8

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Honors

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Josh Hart, unanimous 1st team, POY, Co-DPOY (& 2017 All-American)
Jalen Brunson, unanimous 1st team
Kris Jenkins, hon. mention
Donte DiVincenzo, All-Freshman

References

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  1. ^ "Big East tournament 2017 scores, bracket: Villanova makes statement with dominant title win". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  2. ^ Greene, Dan. "Down goes Villanova: No. 8 seed Wisconsin stuns the reigning national champs". SI.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  3. ^ "March finally gives us some madness as Wisconsin ousts Villanova: 3 takeaways". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  4. ^ "Villanova Plans $60 Million Makeover of Pavilion". Philadelphia Magazine. February 16, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  5. ^ "Board of Trustees Approves Pavilion Renovation" (Press release). Villanova Wildcats. February 14, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "Villanova Basketball Pavilion Renovation Approved". VU Hoops. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  7. ^ "Board of Trustees Approves Pavilion Renovation". Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Seton Hall wins Big East championship, puts Villanova's No. 1 seed in peril". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  9. ^ "Villanova vs. Kansas - Game Recap - March 26, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "Final Four 2016 scores: Villanova crushes Oklahoma; North Carolina rolls Syracuse". OregonLive.com. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  11. ^ Tracy, Marc (April 2, 2016). "Villanova Wipes Out Oklahoma and a Record to Reach the Title Game". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  12. ^ Schonbrun, Zach (April 4, 2016). "Villanova Wins N.C.A.A. Championship on Last-Second Shot". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  13. ^ "Villanova clips North Carolina on buzzer-beater for national championship". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Villanova Picked Unanimously Again To Win In Preseason Coaches' Poll". Big East Conference. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
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