# 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 16th and final season at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Jacksonville State in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Michigan.

## Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 23–8, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in fourth place.
The University of Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2015–16 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation over an escort sex scandal involving recruits between 2010 and 2014. None of the players on this team were involved in the allegations. The ban included both the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Damion Lee | 0 | G | 6'6" | 210 | RS Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduated |
| Trey Lewis | 3 | G | 6'2" | 185 | RS Senior | Garfield Heights, OH | Graduated |
| Dillon Avare | 4 | G | 6'0" | 155 | RS Sophomore | Lexington, KY | Walk-on; transferred to Eastern Kentucky |
| Chinanu Onuaku | 32 | F/C | 6'10" | 245 | Sophomore | Lanham, MD | Declared for 2016 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Tony Hicks | 1 | G | 6'1" | 180 | Graduate Student | South Holland, IL | Transferred from Pennsylvania. As a graduate transfer, Hicks will be eligible to play right away. |
| Dwayne Sutton | 24 | F | 6'5" | 200 | Sophomore | Louisville, KY | Transferred from UNC Asheville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Sutton will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. Will join the team as a preferred walk-on. |

## Class of 2016 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| V. J. King SF | Cleveland, OH | Paul VI Catholic High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | Jun 12, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8 Rivals: 7 ESPN: 8 ||||||
| 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: "Louisville Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. "2016 Louisville Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Class of 2017 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Brian Bowen SF | Saginaw, MI | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jun 3, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Malik Williams C | Fort Wayne, IN | Snider High School | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 4, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Darius Perry PG | Marietta, GA | Wheeler High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jordan Nwora SF | Saxtons River, VT | Vermont Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 19, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Lance Thomas PF | Norcross, GA | Norcross High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 30, 2016 |
| 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: "2017 Louisville Commitments". Rivals.com. "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.com. "ESPN- Louisville Cardinals Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 3, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Kentucky Wesleyan | W 109–71 | | 16 – Adel | 7 – Adel | 5 – Hicks | KFC Yum! Center (15,836) Louisville, KY |
| Nov 7, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Bellarmine | W 81–60 | | 13 – Tied | 11 – Johnson | 4 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (16,437) Louisville, KY |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Evansville | W 78–47 | 1–0 | 19 – Johnson | 11 – Johnson | 3 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (21,129) Louisville, KY |
| Nov 14, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 12 | William & Mary | W 91–58 | 2–0 | 17 – King | 10 – Mathiang | 5 – Adel | KFC Yum! Center (19,314) Louisville, KY |
| Nov 17, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 12 | Long Beach State Battle 4 Atlantis opening round | W 88–56 | 3–0 | 14 – Johnson | 11 – Johnson | 5 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (14,337) Louisville, KY |
| Nov 23, 2016* 9:30 pm, AXS TV | No. 10 | vs. Old Dominion Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | W 68–62 $^{OT}$ | 4–0 | 18 – Snider | 12 – Johnson | 4 – Snider | Imperial Arena (1,601) Nassau, Bahamas |
| Nov 24, 2016* 2:30 pm, ESPN | No. 10 | vs. Wichita State Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals | W 62–52 | 5–0 | 14 – Tied | 9 – Spalding | 5 – Mitchell | Imperial Arena (1,604) Nassau, Bahamas |
| Nov 25, 2016* 3:30 pm, ESPN | No. 10 | vs. No. 20 Baylor Battle 4 Atlantis championship | L 63–66 | 5–1 | 17 – Mitchell | 8 – Mitchell | 4 – Mitchell | Imperial Arena (1,655) Nassau, Bahamas |
| Nov 30, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 14 | No. 15 Purdue ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 71–64 | 6–1 | 11 – Tied | 9 – Spalding | 2 – Tied (3) | KFC Yum! Center (21,841) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 3, 2016* 9:00 pm, ESPN3/WAVE | No. 14 | at Grand Canyon | W 79–70 | 7–1 | 15 – Adel | 8 – Mathiang | 4 – Snider | GCU Arena (7,493) Phoenix, AZ |
| Dec 7, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 11 | Southern Illinois | W 74–51 | 8–1 | 15 – Mathiang | 12 – Adel | 4 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (18,894) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 10, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 11 | Texas Southern | W 102–71 | 9–1 | 15 – Snider | 8 – Tied | 4 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (18,152) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 17, 2016* 12:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 11 | Eastern Kentucky Billy Minardi Classic | W 87–56 | 10–1 | 15 – Mitchell | 13 – Mathiang | 6 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (22,090) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 21, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 10 | No. 6 Kentucky The Battle for the Bluegrass | W 73–70 | 11–1 | 22 – Snider | 7 – Spalding | 5 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (22,783) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 28, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 6 | No. 12 Virginia | L 53–61 | 11–2 (0–1) | 8 – Tied (3) | 6 – Spalding | 2 – Mahmoud | KFC Yum! Center (21,676) Louisville, KY |
| Dec 31, 2016* 12:30 pm, CBS | No. 6 | vs. No. 16 Indiana Countdown Classic | W 77–62 | 12–2 | 25 – Mitchell | 7 – Johnson | 4 – Adel | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,824) Indianapolis, IN |
| Jan 4, 2017 9:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE | No. 9 | at No. 23 Notre Dame | L 70–77 | 12–3 (0–2) | 20 – Mitchell | 10 – Spalding | 5 – Mitchell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,420) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 7, 2017 2:00 pm, ACCN/WHAS | No. 9 | at Georgia Tech | W 65–50 | 13–3 (1–2) | 20 – Mitchell | 12 – Spalding | 7 – Snider | McCamish Pavilion (6,160) Atlanta, GA |
| Jan 11, 2017 7:00 pm, RSN | No. 14 | Pittsburgh | W 85–80 | 14–3 (2–2) | 22 – Snider | 8 – Tied | 5 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (21,558) Louisville, KY |
| Jan 14, 2017 12:00 pm, ESPN | No. 14 | No. 7 Duke | W 78–69 | 15–3 (3–2) | 17 – Mahmoud | 11 – Mahmoud | 6 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (22,686) Louisville, KY |
| Jan 19, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | Clemson | W 92–60 | 16–3 (4–2) | 18 – Tied | 10 – Johnson | 4 – Mitchell | KFC Yum! Center (21,436) Louisville, KY |
| Jan 21, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | at No. 10 Florida State | L 68–73 | 16–4 (4–3) | 16 – Hicks | 13 – Mathiang | 3 – Levitch | Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675) Tallahassee, FL |
| Jan 24, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 13 | at Pittsburgh | W 106–51 | 17–4 (5–3) | 29 – Mitchell | 11 – Johnson | 5 – McMahon | Petersen Events Center (8,971) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Jan 29, 2017 1:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE | No. 13 | NC State | W 85–60 | 18–4 (6–3) | 28 – Mitchell | 8 – Mitchell | 5 – Mitchell | KFC Yum! Center (21,650) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 4, 2017 3:00 pm, ACCN/WHAS | No. 6 | at Boston College | W 90–67 | 19–4 (7–3) | 19 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Conte Forum (7,047) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Feb 6, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 4 | at No. 12 Virginia | L 55–71 | 19–5 (7–4) | 24 – King | 5 – Spalding | 3 – Mitchell | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, VA |
| Feb 11, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 4 | Miami (FL) | W 71–66 | 20–5 (8–4) | 18 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center (21,427) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 13, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 8 | at Syracuse | W 76–72 $^{OT}$ | 21–5 (9–4) | 16 – Mitchell | 8 – Mahmoud | 6 – Snider | Carrier Dome (25,303) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 18, 2017 1:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE | No. 8 | Virginia Tech | W 94–90 | 22–5 (10–4) | 29 – Mitchell | 8 – Johnson | 4 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (21,524) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 22, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | at No. 8 North Carolina | L 63–74 | 22–6 (10–5) | 21 – Mitchell | 6 – Adel | 3 – Mitchell | Dean E. Smith Center (21,296) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 26, 2017 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 7 | Syracuse | W 88–68 | 23–6 (11–5) | 25 – Mitchell | 11 – Spalding | 6 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (22,482) Louisville, KY |
| Mar 1, 2017 9:00 pm, RSN | No. 8 | at Wake Forest | L 81–88 | 23–7 (11–6) | 22 – Adel | 10 – Mathiang | 3 – Adel | LJVM Coliseum (11,488) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Mar 4, 2017 2:00 pm, CBS | No. 8 | No. 19 Notre Dame | W 71–64 | 24–7 (12–6) | 20 – Mitchell | 11 – Mathiang | 6 – Snider | KFC Yum! Center (22,612) Louisville, KY |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPN | (4) No. 10 | vs. (5) No. 14 Duke Quarterfinals | L 77–81 | 24–8 | 21 – Adel | 7 – Mahmoud | 5 – Snider | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2017 2:45 pm, CBS | (2 MW) No. 10 | vs. (15 MW) Jacksonville State First Round | W 78–63 | 25–8 | 18 – Mathiang | 10 – Mitchell | 5 – Tied | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,255) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 19, 2017 12:10 pm, CBS | (2 MW) No. 10 | vs. (7 MW) No. 23 Michigan Second Round | L 69–73 | 25–9 | 19 – Mitchell | 7 – Mitchell | 5 – Mitchell | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,293) Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | 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 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 | Not released |
| Coaches | 14 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 14 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings