2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
The 2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season , in their 111th season of play. The team was led by head coach Tony Bennett, in his seventh year, and played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville , Virginia as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference . They finished the season 29–8, 13–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Georgia Tech and Miami (FL) to advance to the championship game of the ACC tournament where they lost to North Carolina . They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed where they defeated Hampton , Butler , and Iowa State to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to fellow ACC member Syracuse .
Last season
The Cavaliers finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 30–4 overall and 16–2 in conference play , finishing in first place in the ACC for the second straight season . Despite their best regular season record in school history of 28–2, and reaching their highest national ranking since 1983 , they fell in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to North Carolina , and in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 to Michigan State .
Departures
Coaching changes
On April 1, 2015, associate head coach Ritchie McKay announced that he would be re-taking the head coaching job at Liberty , which he previously held from 2007 to 2009 until coming to Virginia.[ 5] On April 17, Lindenwood head coach Brad Soderberg was hired.[ 6] Soderberg had previously served as an assistant at Wisconsin alongside Tony Bennett's father Dick , and was interim head coach following the latter's retirement in 2000.[ 7] On July 2, 2015, Ron Sanchez was promoted to associate head coach .[ 8]
Class of 2015 signees
Diakite originally committed to the class of 2016, but at the time of his commitment stated that there was an "80-percent chance" that he could reclassify to 2015 and redshirt.[ 11] On September 3, Bennett announced that Diakite was eligible to join the program.[ 12]
Incoming transfers
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Previous School
Austin Nichols
1
F
6'9"
228
Junior
Collierville, TN
Transferred from Memphis .[ 13] Under NCAA transfer rules, Nichols must redshirt for the 2015–16 season. After this season he will have two years of remaining eligibility.
Roster
2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G
0
Devon Hall
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
RS So
Cape Henry Collegiate
Virginia Beach, Virginia
F
1
Austin Nichols (I)
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
232 lb (105 kg)
Jr
Briarcrest Christian /Memphis
Collierville, Tennessee
G
2
Justice Bartley (W)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
Fr
Montrose Christian School
Lilburn, Georgia
G
4
Marial Shayok
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
So
Blair Academy
Ottawa , Ontario
F/C
10
Mike Tobey
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
260 lb (118 kg)
Sr
Blair Academy
Monroe, New York
F
11
Evan Nolte
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
228 lb (103 kg)
Sr
Milton HS
Milton, Georgia
F
13
Anthony Gill
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
RS Sr
Charlotte Christian /South Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
G
15
Malcolm Brogdon
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
RS Sr
Greater Atlanta Christian
Norcross, Georgia
F
21
Isaiah Wilkins
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
So
Greater Atlanta Christian
Atlanta, Georgia
F
24
Caid Kirven (W)
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
228 lb (103 kg)
Sr
Woodberry Forest
Raleigh, North Carolina
F
25
Mamadi Diakite
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Fr
Blue Ridge School
Conakry , Guinea
F
31
Jarred Reuter
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
243 lb (110 kg)
Fr
Brewster Academy
Marion, Massachusetts
G
32
London Perrantes
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
Jr
Crespi Carmelite HS
Los Angeles, California
C
33
Jack Salt
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
RS Fr
Westlake Boys HS
Auckland , New Zealand
F
34
Jeff Jones (W)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
213 lb (97 kg)
Jr
St. Anne's-Belfield
Charlottesville, Virginia
G
51
Darius Thompson
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
196 lb (89 kg)
RS So
Blackman HS /Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Strength and conditioning coach(es)
Athletic trainer(s)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Roster Last update: September 24, 2015
Depth chart
Pos.
Starting 5
Bench 1
Bench 2
F/C
Anthony Gill
Mike Tobey
Jack Salt
F
Isaiah Wilkins
Jarred Reuter
Caid Kirven
G/F
Devon Hall
Evan Nolte
Jeff Jones
G
Malcolm Brogdon
Marial Shayok
Justice Bartley
PG
London Perrantes
Darius Thompson
[ 14]
Schedule
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2015 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 6
Morgan State
W 86–48
1–0
15 – Tobey
8 – Tobey
4 – Tied
John Paul Jones Arena (14,034)Charlottesville, Virginia
Nov 16, 2015 *7:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 6
at George Washington College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon
L 68–73
1–1
28 – Brogdon
8 – Brogdon
4 – Brogdon
Charles E. Smith Center (5,025)Washington, D.C.
Nov 19, 2015 *9:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 6
vs. Bradley Charleston Classic Quarterfinal
W 82–57
2–1
16 – Gill
7 – Gill
8 – Perrantes
TD Arena (3,437)Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 20, 2015 *9:30 pm, ESPNU
No. 6
vs. Long Beach State Charleston Classic Semifinal
W 87–52
3–1
17 – Shayok
6 – Reuter
7 – Brogdon
TD Arena (3,417)Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 22, 2015 *9:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 6
vs. George Mason Charleston Classic Championship
W 83–66
4–1
21 – Brogdon
8 – Tobey
11 – Perrantes
TD Arena (2,820)Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 25, 2015 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 12
Lehigh
W 80–54
5–1
23 – Brogdon
5 – Tied
8 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (14,220)Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 1, 2015 *7:30 pm, ESPN
No. 10
at Ohio State ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 64–58
6–1
22 – Brogdon
7 – Gill
6 – Thompson
Value City Arena (12,445)Columbus, Ohio
Dec 5, 2015 *2:00 pm, RSN
No. 10
William & Mary
W 67–52
7–1
16 – Tied
7 – Gill
3 – Shayok
John Paul Jones Arena (14,105)Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 8, 2015 *7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10
vs. No. 14 West Virginia Jimmy V Classic
W 70–54
8–1
20 – Gill
12 – Gill
4 – Perrantes
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Dec 19, 2015 *Noon, ESPN2
No. 8
No. 12 Villanova
W 86–75
9–1
22 – Gill
7 – Tied
6 – Brogdon
John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 22, 2015 *9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5
California
W 63–62 OT
10–1
17 – Gill
7 – Wilkins
6 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (13,265)Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 30, 2015 *6:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 5
Oakland
W 71–58
11–1
17 – Gill
8 – Wilkins
5 – Brogdon
John Paul Jones Arena (14,465)Charlottesville, Virginia
ACC regular season
Jan 2, 2016 5:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 5
Notre Dame
W 77–66
12–1 (1–0)
24 – Brogdon
6 – Tied
5 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (14,389)Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 4, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 4
at Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash
L 68–70
12–2 (1–1)
22 – Perrantes
8 – Tied
4 – Brogdon
Cassell Coliseum (6,157)Blacksburg, Virginia
Jan 9, 2016 2:00 pm, ACCN
No. 4
at Georgia Tech
L 64–68
12–3 (1–2)
19 – Brogdon
7 – Tobey
4 – Perrantes
Hank McCamish Pavilion (8,073)Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 13
No. 8 Miami (FL)
W 66–58
13–3 (2–2)
20 – Brogdon
8 – Gill
3 – Tied
John Paul Jones Arena (13,495)Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 17, 2016 6:30 pm, ESPNU
No. 13
at Florida State
L 62–69
13–4 (2–3)
19 – Perrantes
5 – Brogdon
5 – Brogdon
Donald L. Tucker Center (9,158)Tallahassee, Florida
Jan 19, 2016 9:00 pm, ACCN
No. 13
Clemson
W 69–62
14–4 (3–3)
20 – Brogdon
6 – Tied
4 – Tied
John Paul Jones Arena (14,398)Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 24, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 13
Syracuse
W 73–65
15–4 (4–3)
21 – Brogdon
8 – Gill
7 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (13,305)Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 26, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 11
at Wake Forest
W 72–71
16–4 (5–3)
28 – Brogdon
7 – Brogdon
5 – Perrantes
LJVM Coliseum (9,221)Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Jan 30, 2016 1:00 pm, CBS
No. 11
at No. 16 Louisville
W 63–47
17–4 (6–3)
13 – Tied
6 – Gill
5 – Perrantes
KFC Yum! Center (21,714)Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 3, 2016 7:00 pm, RSN
No. 9
Boston College
W 61–47
18–4 (7–3)
27 – Brogdon
11 – Gill
4 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (14,310)Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 6, 2016 Noon, ACCN
No. 9
at Pittsburgh
W 64–50
19–4 (8–3)
21 – Brogdon
7 – Wilkins
5 – Wilkins
Petersen Events Center (12,508)Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 9, 2016 8:00 pm, ACCN
No. 7
Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash
W 67–49
20–4 (9–3)
16 – Gill
5 – Tied
5 – Hall
John Paul Jones Arena (14,395)Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 13, 2016 4:30 pm, ESPN
No. 7
at Duke
L 62–63
20–5 (9–4)
18 – Brogdon
5 – Tied
4 – Shayok
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)Durham, North Carolina
Feb 15, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7
NC State
W 73–53
21–5 (10–4)
22 – Brogdon
13 – Wilkins
5 – Tied
John Paul Jones Arena (14,016)Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 22, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 3
at No. 12 Miami (FL)
L 61–64
21–6 (10–5)
28 – Brogdon
10 – Gill
7 – Perrantes
BankUnited Center (7,016)Coral Gables, Florida
Feb 27, 2016 6:30 pm, ESPN
No. 3
No. 7 North Carolina ESPN College GameDay
W 79–74
22–6 (11–5)
26 – Brogdon
9 – Gill
6 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (14,593)Charlottesville, Virginia
Mar 1, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 4
at Clemson
W 64–57
23–6 (12–5)
18 – Brogdon
10 – Gill
4 – Perrantes
Bon Secours Wellness Arena (9,626)Greenville, South Carolina 1
Mar 5, 2016 8:30 pm, ESPN
No. 4
No. 11 Louisville
W 68–46
24–6 (13–5)
17 – Brogdon
20 – Tobey
4 – Perrantes
John Paul Jones Arena (14,088)Charlottesville, Virginia
ACC Tournament
Mar 10, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN
(2) No. 4
vs. (10) Georgia Tech Quarterfinals
W 72–52
25–6
26 – Brogdon
8 – Gill
8 – Perrantes
Verizon Center (20,719)Washington, D.C.
Mar 11, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN
(2) No. 4
vs. (3) No. 11 Miami (FL) Semifinals
W 73–68
26–6
24 – Brogdon
7 – Wilkins
4 – Brogdon
Verizon Center (20,719)Washington, D.C.
Mar 12, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN
(2) No. 4
vs. (1) No. 7 North Carolina Championship
L 57–61
26–7
15 – Brogdon
9 – Tobey
4 – Brogdon
Verizon Center (20,719)Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
Mar 17, 2016 *3:10 pm, truTV
(1 MW) No. 4
vs. (16 MW) Hampton First Round
W 81–45
27–7
19 – Gill
7 – Gill
4 – 3 Tied
PNC Arena (19,722)Raleigh, NC
Mar 19, 2016 *7:10 pm, TBS
(1 MW) No. 4
vs. (9 MW) Butler Second Round
W 77–69
28–7
22 – Brogdon
8 – Gill
5 – Brogdon
PNC Arena (19,433)Raleigh, NC
Mar 25, 2016 *7:10 pm, CBS
(1 MW) No. 4
vs. (4 MW) No. 22 Iowa State Sweet Sixteen
W 84–71
29–7
23 – Gill
8 – Gill
9 – Perrantes
United Center (21,490)Chicago, Illinois
Mar 27, 2016 *6:09 pm, TBS
(1 MW) No. 4
vs. (10 MW) Syracuse Elite Eight
L 62–68
29–8
18 – Perrantes
6 – Brogdon
7 – Brogdon
United Center (20,155)Chicago, Illinois
[ 15]
Rankings
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final AP 6 6 12 10 10 8 5 5 4 13 13 11 9 7 (1) 7 3 4 4 4 N/A Coaches 6 6 12 10 10 9 5 5 4 11 13 12 9 7 8 3 4 4 5 5
Team players drafted into the NBA
Awards and honors
References
^ Schwartz, Brian (April 13, 2015). "Justin Anderson to enter NBA Draft, leave Virginia" . Streaking the Lawn. Retrieved April 13, 2015 .
^ "Anderson Selected by Dallas in First Round of 2015 NBA Draft" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . June 25, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015 .
^ "B.J. Stith Leaving Virginia Basketball Program" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015 .
^ "B.J. Stith transferring from UVA to ODU" . WAVY . April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015 .
^ "McKay Named Head Coach at Liberty" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015 .
^ "Soderberg Named Assistant Coach at Virginia" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015 .
^ Teel, David (April 17, 2015). "Bennett hiring veteran head coach Brad Soderberg for U.Va. staff" . The Daily Press . Retrieved April 17, 2015 .
^ "Sanchez Promoted to Associate head coach" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015 .
^ Goodman, Drew (August 3, 2014). "Basketball Commitment! Jarred Reuter" . Streaking the Lawn . Retrieved January 1, 2015 .
^ Oakes, Jamie (August 4, 2015). "Mamadi Diakite commits to UVa" . Wahoos247 . Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015 .
^ Oakes, Jamie (August 4, 2015). "Mamadi Diakite goes in-depth about his UVa commitment" . Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2015 .
^ "Virginia Men's Basketball Adds Mamadi Diakite" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015 .
^ "UVa lands coveted Memphis transfer" . The Daily Progress . July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015 .
^ "Game 25 at Duke, Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium)" (PDF) . p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016 .
^ "2015-2016 Schedule" . Virginia Cavaliers . Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015 .
^ a b c d "USBWA NAMES 2015-16 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association . March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016 .
^ "North Carolina Picked As 2015-16 ACC Basketball Preseason Favorite" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference . October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2015 .
^ a b c d e "ACSMA Announces Basketball Postseason Awards, All-ACC Teams" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference . March 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016 .
^ a b c d e "Brogdon Named Top Player and Defender By ACC Coaches" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016 .
^ Wiley, Paul (March 29, 2016). "2016 NCAA Basketball All-Americans: Malcolm Brogdon named consensus All-American" . Streaking the Lawn . Retrieved March 29, 2016 .
^ "Brogdon Named NABC Defensive Player of the Year" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
^ "Brogdon Adds Senior CLASS First-Team Honor" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers . April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016 .
^ "National Association of Basketball Coaches, Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Allstate Name 20 College Basketball Players to 2016 Good Works Teams®" (PDF) (Press release). National Association of Basketball Coaches , Allstate . February 9, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics