2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA Tournament National Champions
Big East regular season champions
NIT Season Tip-Off champions
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 1
AP No. 6
2015–16 record 35–5 (16–2 Big East)
Head coach Jay Wright (15th season)
Assistant coach Baker Dunleavy
Assistant coach Ashley Howard
Assistant coach Kyle Neptune
Home arena The Pavilion
Wells Fargo Center
2015–16 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
#6 Villanova16–2 .889  35–5  .875
#9 Xavier14–4 .778  28–5  .848
#20 Seton Hall †12–6 .667  25–9  .735
Providence10–8 .556  24–11  .686
Butler10–8 .556  22–11  .667
Creighton9–9 .500  20–15  .571
Marquette8–10 .444  20–13  .606
Georgetown7–11 .389  15–18  .455
DePaul3–15 .167  9–22  .290
St. John's1–17 .056  8–24  .250
† 2016 Big East Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by the school's 8th head coach Jay Wright in his 15th year, the Wildcats were members of the Big East Conference and played most of their home games at The Pavilion, with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 35–5, 16–2 to win the Big East regular season. They lost in the championship of the Big East Tournament to Seton Hall. The Wildcats earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed. In the Tournament, they defeated UNC Asheville, Iowa, Miami, and overall #1 seed Kansas to earn a trip to the Final Four, the fifth in school history (although the 1971 Final Four season was vacated by the NCAA). In the Final Four, the Wildcats routed No. 2 seed Oklahoma by the largest margin in Final Four history to face No. 1 seeded North Carolina for the national championship. Led by Final Four MOP, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Wildcats won the National Championship on a three-point shot by Kris Jenkins, assisted by Arcidiacano, as time expired. The Wildcats won the school's second national title, having previously won the 1985 NCAA Tournament.

Their 35 wins were the most in school history, breaking a record of 33 wins set the previous season. In beating No. 3 seed Miami (AP No. 10), No. 1 seed Kansas (AP No. 1), No. 2 seed Oklahoma (AP No. 7) and No. 1 seed UNC (AP No. 3), Villanova became the first school in 31 years — since the 1985 Villanova Wildcats — to not only beat four top-three seeds on the way to a national title but to also beat four straight opponents ranked in the AP top 10, in addition to beating AP ranked Iowa in the Round of 32, by an average victory margin of 19 points per game. Villanova's run included two of the ten most offensively efficient games in the analytics era (2002–present), beating Miami and Oklahoma by scoring 1.56 and 1.51 points per possession in the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four, respectively.[1] It has been called perhaps the most dominant tournament championship run of all time, and the most dominant of the analytics era by a wide margin.[2]

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2014–15 season 33–3, 16–2 in Big East play to win the Big East regular season championship. They defeated Marquette, Providence, and Xavier to become champions of the Big East Tournament. They received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a No.1 seed where they defeated Lafayette in the Second Round before losing in the Third Round to NC State.

With their 31st win of the season, a 63–61 win over Providence in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament, the Wildcats set a single season record for wins, which would eventually finish at 33.

Offseason

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Darrun Hilliard4G6'6"215SeniorBethlehem, PAGraduated/2015 NBA Draft
Dylan Ennis52G6'2"192JuniorBrampton, OntarioGraduated/Transferred to Oregon
JayVaughn Pinkston22F6'7"235RS SeniorBrooklyn, NYGraduated

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Eric Paschall4F6'6"205SophomoreDobbs Ferry, NYTransferred from Fordham. Under NCAA transfer rules, Paschall had to sit out the 2015–16 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

Incoming recruits

Jalen Brunson at the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jalen Brunson
PG		 Lincolnshire, IL Adlai E. Stevenson High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 10, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 90
Tim Delaney
PF		 Mullica Hill, NJ Pitman High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jun 9, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Donte DiVincenzo
SG		 Wilmington, DE Salesianum School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jan 3, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
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:

  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-06-01.

    2017 recruiting class

    Roster

    2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearHometown
    G 0 Henry Lowe (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)185 lb (84 kg) Sr New York, New York
    G 1 Jalen Brunson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)199 lb (90 kg) Fr Lincolnshire, Illinois
    F 2 Kris Jenkins 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)240 lb (109 kg) Jr Upper Marlboro, Maryland
    G 3 Josh Hart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) Jr Washington, D.C.
    F 4 Eric Paschall 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)260 lb (118 kg) So Dobbs Ferry, New York
    G 5 Phil Booth 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) So Baltimore, Maryland
    G 10 Donte DiVincenzo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) Fr Wilmington, Delaware
    G 15 Ryan Arcidiacono 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg) Sr Langhorne, Pennsylvania
    F 20 Patrick Farrell (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) Sr Rockville Centre, New York
    F 23 Daniel Ochefu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) Sr Lagos, Nigeria
    G/F 25 Mikal Bridges 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)191 lb (87 kg) RS Fr Malvern, Pennsylvania
    F 34 Tim Delaney 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) Fr Mullica Hill, New Jersey
    F 45 Darryl Reynolds 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) Jr Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    F 52 Kevin Rafferty 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)215 lb (98 kg) Sr Malvern, Pennsylvania
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results

    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 8, 2015*
    12:00 pm    		 No. 11 Pace W 80–45 
    		Wells Fargo Center 
    Philadelphia, PA
    Regular season
    Nov 13, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS2    		 No. 11 Fairleigh Dickinson W 91–54[3]  1–0
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Nov 17, 2015*
    8:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 11 Nebraska
    Gavitt Tipoff Games    		 W 87–63  2–0
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Nov 20, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS2    		 No. 11 East Tennessee State
    NIT Season Tip-Off    		 W 86–51  3–0
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Nov 22, 2015*
    4:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 11 Akron
    NIT Season Tip-Off    		 W 75–56  4–0
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Nov 26, 2015*
    4:30 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 8 vs. Stanford
    NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals    		 W 59–45  5–0
    		 Barclays Center 
    Brooklyn, NY
    Nov 27, 2015*
    3:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 8 vs. Georgia Tech
    NIT Season Tip-Off championship    		 W 69–52  6–0
    		 Barclays Center 
    Brooklyn, NY
    Dec 1, 2015*
    7:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 8 at Saint Joseph's
    Philadelphia Big 5/Holy War    		 W 86–72  7–0
    		 Hagan Arena (4,200)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Dec 7, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 9 vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
    Pearl Harbor Classic    		 L 55–78  7–1
    		 Bloch Arena (4,024)
    Honolulu, HI
    Dec 13, 2015*
    5:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 9 La Salle
    Philadelphia Big 5    		 W 76–47  8–1
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Dec 19, 2015*
    12:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 12 at No. 8 Virginia L 75–86  8–2
    		 John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)
    Charlottesville, VA
    Dec 22, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 17 Delaware W 78–48  9–2
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Dec 28, 2015*
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 16 Penn
    Philadelphia Big 5    		 W 77–57  10–2
    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Dec 31, 2015
    12:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 16 No. 6 Xavier W 95–64  11–2
    (1–0)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Jan 2, 2016
    10 pm, FS1    		 No. 16 at Creighton
    Big East New Year's Marathon    		 W 85–71  12–2
    (2–0)    		 CenturyLink Center (17,375)
    Omaha, NE
    Jan 6, 2016
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 11 Seton Hall W 72–63  13–2
    (3–0)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Jan 10, 2016
    7:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 11 at No. 18 Butler W 60–55  14–2
    (4–0)    		 Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144)
    Indianapolis, IN
    Jan 13, 2016
    8:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 6 Marquette W 83–68  15–2
    (5–0)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Jan 16, 2016
    1:00 pm, CBS    		 No. 6 at Georgetown W 55–50  16–2
    (6–0)    		 Verizon Center (15,535)
    Washington, D.C.
    Jan 20, 2016
    9:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 4 at Seton Hall W 72–71  17–2
    (7–0)    		 Prudential Center (8,788)
    Newark, NJ
    Jan 23, 2016
    12:00 pm, FOX    		 No. 4 No. 16 Providence L 76–82 OT 17–3
    (7–1)    		 Wells Fargo Center (7,191)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Jan 31, 2016
    12:00 pm, FOX    		 No. 6 at St. John's W 68–53  18–3
    (8–1)    		 Madison Square Garden (12,713)
    New York, NY
    Feb 3, 2016
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 3 Creighton W 83–58  19–3
    (9–1)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Feb 6, 2016
    2:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 3 at No. 11 Providence W 72–60  20–3
    (10–1)    		 Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,883)
    Providence, RI
    Feb 9, 2016
    8:30 pm, FS1    		 No. 1 at DePaul W 86–59  21–3
    (11–1)    		 Allstate Arena (6,393)
    Rosemont, IL
    Feb 13, 2016
    8:00 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 1 St. John's W 73–63  22–3
    (12–1)    		 Wells Fargo Center (18,052)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Feb 17, 2016*
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 1 at Temple
    Philadelphia Big 5    		 W 83–67  23–3
    		 Liacouras Center (10,472)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Feb 20, 2016
    2:30 pm, FOX    		 No. 1 Butler W 77–67  24–3
    (13–1)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Feb 24, 2016
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 1 at No. 5 Xavier L 83–90  24–4
    (13–2)    		 Cintas Center (10,727)
    Cincinnati, OH
    Feb 27, 2016
    2:00 pm, FOX    		 No. 1 at Marquette W 89–79  25–4
    (14–2)    		 BMO Harris Bradley Center (19,043)
    Milwaukee, WI
    Mar 1, 2016
    7:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 3 DePaul W 83–62  26–4
    (15–2)    		 The Pavilion (6,500)
    Villanova, PA
    Mar 5, 2016
    12:07 pm, FOX    		 No. 3 Georgetown W 84–71  27–4
    (16–2)    		 Wells Fargo Center (20,173)
    Philadelphia, PA
    Big East Tournament
    Mar 10, 2016
    12:00 noon, FS1    		 (1) No. 3 vs. (8) Georgetown
    Quarterfinals    		 W 81–67  28–4
    		 Madison Square Garden (14,863)
    New York, NY
    Mar 11, 2016
    6:30 pm, FS1    		 (1) No. 3 vs. (4) Providence
    Semifinals    		 W 76–68  29–4
    		 Madison Square Garden (17,130)
    New York, NY
    Mar 12, 2016
    5:30 pm, FOX    		 (1) No. 3 vs. (3) Seton Hall
    Championship game    		 L 67–69  29–5
    		 Madison Square Garden (19,812)
    New York, NY
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 18, 2016*
    12:40 pm, truTV    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (15 S) UNC Asheville
    First round    		 W 86–56  30–5
    		 Barclays Center (17,333)
    Brooklyn, NY
    Mar 20, 2016*
    12:10 pm, CBS    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (7 S) No. 25 Iowa
    Second round    		 W 87–68  31–5
    		 Barclays Center (17,401)
    Brooklyn, NY
    Mar 24, 2016*
    7:10 pm, CBS    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (3 S) No. 10 Miami (FL)
    Sweet Sixteen    		 W 92–69  32–5
    		 KFC Yum! Center (19,399)
    Louisville, KY
    Mar 26, 2016*
    8:49 pm, CBS    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (1 S) No. 1 Kansas
    Elite Eight    		 W 64–59  33–5
    		 KFC Yum! Center (19,422)
    Louisville, KY
    Apr 2, 2016*
    6:09 pm, TBS    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (2 W) No. 7 Oklahoma
    Final Four    		 W 95–51  34–5
    		 NRG Stadium (75,505)
    Houston, TX
    Apr 4, 2016*
    9:19 pm, TBS    		 (2 S) No. 6 vs. (1 E) No. 3 North Carolina
    National Championship    		 W 77–74  35–5
    		 NRG Stadium (74,340)
    Houston, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region.
    All times are in Eastern Time. W=West Region E=East Region.

    Local Radio

    Station Play–by–play Color analyst Studio host
    WTEL–AM 610 and Villanova IMG Sports NetworkRyan FannonWhitey RigsbyJoe Weil

    Rankings

    On February 8, the Wildcats became the first Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team to reach number one in the AP Poll.[4][5]

    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final 
    AP 11 11 8 8 9 12 17 16 11 6 4 6 3 1 (32) 1 (44) 1 (45) 3 3 6 Not released 
    Coaches 9 8т 9 7 6 13 17 16 13 7 4 6 4 1 (11) 1 (25) 1 (25) 2 2 6 1 (30)

    *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

    References

    1. ↑ Gasaway, John. "Best Offensive Performances". ESPN.
    2. ↑ Winn, Luke. "The Five Most Dominant Tournament Runs of the Analyics Era". SI.com.
    3. ↑ "No. 11 Villanova beats Fairleigh Dickinson 91-54". ESPN.com. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
    4. ↑ O'Connell, Jim (2016-02-08). "College basketball rankings: Villanova earns program's first AP No. 1 ranking". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
    5. ↑ Beaton, Andrew (2016-02-08). "Villanova Ranked No. 1 for First Time in AP Poll". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
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