# 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. 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. 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. 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. All home games for the 2017–18 season were played at the Wells Fargo Center.

## 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. 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. In the Final Four, the Wildcats defeated Oklahoma to advance to the school's third National Championship game. 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| 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

College recruiting information :
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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
#### 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: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015. ||||||

## Preseason

Prior to the season, Villanova was picked to win the Big East in a poll of Big East coaches. 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.

## Schedule and results

| 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 movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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