2016–17 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
American college 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.
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
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
Departures
2016 signing class
Future recruits
2017–18 team recruits
College recruiting information
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
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
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
Star ratings : Scout : N/A Rivals : N/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
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
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
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, CBS
(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
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = 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 4 (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 Coaches 3 (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
References
^ "Big East tournament 2017 scores, bracket: Villanova makes statement with dominant title win" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ Greene, Dan. "Down goes Villanova: No. 8 seed Wisconsin stuns the reigning national champs" . SI.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "March finally gives us some madness as Wisconsin ousts Villanova: 3 takeaways" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Villanova Plans $60 Million Makeover of Pavilion" . Philadelphia Magazine . February 16, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Board of Trustees Approves Pavilion Renovation" (Press release). Villanova Wildcats . February 14, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017 .
^ "Villanova Basketball Pavilion Renovation Approved" . VU Hoops . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Board of Trustees Approves Pavilion Renovation" . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Seton Hall wins Big East championship, puts Villanova's No. 1 seed in peril" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Villanova vs. Kansas - Game Recap - March 26, 2016 - ESPN" . ESPN.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ "Final Four 2016 scores: Villanova crushes Oklahoma; North Carolina rolls Syracuse" . OregonLive.com . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ "Villanova clips North Carolina on buzzer-beater for national championship" . USA TODAY . Retrieved July 14, 2017 .
^ a b "Villanova Picked Unanimously Again To Win In Preseason Coaches' Poll" . Big East Conference . Retrieved February 8, 2017 .
External links
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics