# 2016–17 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, in their 112th season of play. The team was led by head coach Tony Bennett, in his eighth year, and played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 23–11, 11–7 in ACC play to finish in ACC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Pittsburgh in the second round of the ACC tournament to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Notre Dame. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East region. There they defeated UNC Wilmington in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Florida.

## Previous season

Coming off of two highly successful regular seasons in 2014 and 2015, but with early exits from the NCAA tournament each time, and with the final season for seniors Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill, expectations were high for the program in 2015–16. However, the regular season was mixed: despite wins against programs like West Virginia, Villanova, California, and North Carolina, the team also suffered upsets to Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Florida State. Despite this, the Cavaliers finished the season 29–8 overall and 13–5 in conference play, finishing in second place in the ACC. They fell in the ACC tournament championship to North Carolina. However, they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and received their second No. 1 seed in three years. In the Tournament, they defeated Hampton, Butler, and Iowa State to advance to their first Elite Eight in twenty-one years. There, they lost to Syracuse, despite leading by 14 at halftime.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Malcolm Brogdon | 15 | G | 6'5" | 215 | RS Senior | Atlanta, Georgia | Graduated/Milwaukee Bucks |
| Anthony Gill | 13 | F | 6'8" | 228 | RS Senior | High Point, North Carolina | Graduated/MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg |
| Jeff Jones | 24 | F | 6'6" | 213 | Senior | Charlottesville, Virginia | Academically ineligible |
| Caid Kirven | 24 | F | 6'8" | 228 | Senior | Raleigh, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Austin Nichols | 1 | F | 6'9" | 232 | RS Junior | Collierville, Tennessee | Dismissed from team |
| Evan Nolte | 11 | F | 6'9" | 228 | Senior | Milton, Georgia | Graduated |
| Mike Tobey | 10 | C | 7'0" | 255 | Senior | Monroe, New York | Graduated/Charlotte Hornets |

### 2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ty Jerome PG | New Rochelle, NY | Iona Preparatory School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | September 2, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Kyle Guy PG/SG | Indianapolis, IN | Lawrence Central HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | October 20, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| Jay Huff PF | Durham, NC | Voyager Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 21, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| De'Andre Hunter SF | Philadelphia, PA | Friends' Central School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | September 12, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13 247Sports: 8 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: "Virginia 2016 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. "2016 Virginia Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. "2016 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. "Virginia 2016 Basketball Commitments". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016. ||||||

## Roster
### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Jack Salt | Mamadi Diakite | |
| PF | Isaiah Wilkins | Jarred Reuter | |
| SF | Marial Shayok | Darius Thompson | Jeff Jones |
| SG | Devon Hall | Kyle Guy | Justice Bartley |
| PG | London Perrantes | Ty Jerome | Trevon Gross Jr. |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Spain exhibition games |||||||||
| Aug 10, 2016* | | at Madrid Generals | W 91–82 | | 17 – Tied | – | – | Pabellón Felipe Reyes Getafe, Spain |
| Aug 11, 2016* | | at Madrid Generals | W 78–76 | | 14 – Tied | – | – | Pabellón Felipe Reyes Getafe, Spain |
| Aug 13, 2016* | | at Albacete Basket | W 70–44 | | 14 – Huff | 8 – Salt | – | Pabellón del Parque Albacete, Spain |
| Aug 16, 2016* | | at Sant Julià All-Stars | W 72–62 | | 14 – Perrantes | – | – | Pavelló Esportiu Municipal Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Spain |
| Aug 17, 2016* | | at Sant Julià All-Stars | W 85–49 | | 14 – Nichols | – | – | Pavelló Esportiu Municipal Sant Julià de Vilatorta, Spain |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 8 | at UNC Greensboro | W 76–51 | 1–0 | 15 – Shayok | 9 – Wilkins | 3 – 3 Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (5,513) Greensboro, North Carolina |
| Nov 15, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 8 | St. Francis Brooklyn Emerald Coast Classic | W 72–32 | 2–0 | 11 – Nichols | 6 – Thompson | 3 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,471) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nov 20, 2016* 1:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 8 | Yale | W 62–38 | 3–0 | 15 – Shayok | 9 – Wilkins | 7 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,242) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nov 22, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 7 | Grambling State Emerald Coast Classic | W 90–34 | 4–0 | 20 – Guy | 7 – Reuter | 5 – Jerome | John Paul Jones Arena (13,235) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Nov 25, 2016* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 7 | vs. Iowa Emerald Coast Classic semifinals | W 74–41 | 5–0 | 14 – Reuter | 9 – Reuter | 4 – Tied | The Arena at NWFSC (2,196) Niceville, Florida |
| Nov 26, 2016* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 7 | vs. Providence Emerald Coast Classic championship | W 63–52 | 6–0 | 11 – Tied | 7 – Perrantes | 6 – Perrantes | The Arena at NWFSC (2,196) Niceville, Florida |
| Nov 30, 2016* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 6 | Ohio State ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 63–61 | 7–0 | 19 – Perrantes | 6 – Salt | 3 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,566) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec 3, 2016* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 6 | No. 25 West Virginia | L 57–66 | 7–1 | 14 – Thompson | 8 – Wilkins | 7 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec 6, 2016* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 14 | East Carolina | W 76–53 | 8–1 | 13 – Guy | 5 – Tied | 6 – Thompson | John Paul Jones Arena (13,813) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec 17, 2016* 4:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 13 | Robert Morris | W 79–39 | 9–1 | 13 – Tied | 6 – Wilkins | 6 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,452) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Dec 21, 2016* 10:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | at California | W 56–52 | 10–1 | 17 – Guy | 6 – Hall | 5 – Thompson | Haas Pavilion (11,877) Berkeley, California |
| Dec 28, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | at No. 6 Louisville | W 61–53 | 11–1 (1–0) | 10 – Hall | 7 – Salt | 7 – Perrantes | KFC Yum! Center (22,090) Louisville, Kentucky |
| Dec 31, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 12 | No. 20 Florida State | L 58–60 | 11–2 (1–1) | 14 – Guy | 7 – Salt | 4 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan 4, 2017 9:00 pm, RSN | No. 11 | at Pittsburgh | L 76–88 $^{OT}$ | 11–3 (1–2) | 16 – Perrantes | 9 – Hall | 3 – Tied | Petersen Events Center (9,814) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Jan 8, 2017 8:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 11 | Wake Forest | W 79–62 | 12–3 (2–2) | 24 – Perrantes | 8 – Hall | 2 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (13,717) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan 14, 2017 Noon, ACCN | No. 19 | at Clemson | W 77–73 | 13–3 (3–2) | 25 – Perrantes | 13 – Wilkins | 2 – Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, South Carolina |
| Jan 18, 2017 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 16 | at Boston College | W 71–54 | 14–3 (4–2) | 13 – Hall | 9 – Wilkins | 6 – Hall | Conte Forum (5,038) Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| Jan 21, 2017 2:00 pm, ACCN | No. 16 | Georgia Tech | W 62–49 | 15–3 (5–2) | 19 – Shayok | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | John Paul Jones Arena (14,459) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Jan 24, 2017 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 12 | at No. 14 Notre Dame | W 71–54 | 16–3 (6–2) | 22 – Perrantes | 9 – Tied | 5 – Thompson | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) Notre Dame, Indiana |
| Jan 29, 2017* 1:00 pm, FOX | No. 12 | at No. 1 Villanova | L 59–61 | 16–4 | 15 – Jerome | 8 – Wilkins | 6 – Perrantes | Wells Fargo Center (20,907) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 1, 2017 8:00 pm, ACCN | No. 9 | Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash | W 71–48 | 17–4 (7–2) | 17 – Hall | 9 – Tied | 4 – Hall | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb 4, 2017 Noon, ESPN2 | No. 9 | at Syracuse | L 62–66 | 17–5 (7–3) | 14 – Guy | 6 – Hall | 8 – Perrantes | Carrier Dome (27,553) Syracuse, New York |
| Feb 6, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | No. 4 Louisville | W 71–55 | 18–5 (8–3) | 18 – Perrantes | 11 – Wilkins | 4 – Thompson | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb 12, 2017 6:30 pm, ESPNU | No. 12 | at Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash | L 78–80 $^{2OT}$ | 18–6 (8–4) | 22 – Perrantes | 9 – Wilkins | 3 – Perrantes | Cassell Coliseum (9,567) Blacksburg, Virginia |
| Feb 15, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 14 | No. 12 Duke | L 55–65 | 18–7 (8–5) | 14 – Perrantes | 9 – Wilkins | 2 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb 18, 2017 8:15 pm, ESPN | No. 14 | at No. 10 North Carolina ESPN College GameDay | L 41–65 | 18–8 (8–6) | 13 – Shayok | 6 – Hall | 2 – Tied | Dean Smith Center (21,750) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Feb 20, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 18 | Miami (FL) | L 48–54 $^{OT}$ | 18–9 (8–7) | 15 – Hall | 10 – Wilkins | 4 – Thompson | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Feb 25, 2017 Noon, ESPN | No. 18 | at NC State | W 70–55 | 19–9 (9–7) | 19 – Guy | 9 – Hall | 10 – Perrantes | PNC Arena (16,718) Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Feb 27, 2017 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 23 | No. 5 North Carolina | W 53−43 | 20−9 (10−7) | 17 – Guy | 9 – Wilkins | 5 – Hall | John Paul Jones Arena (14,623) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| Mar 4, 2017 Noon, ACCN | No. 23 | Pittsburgh | W 67−42 | 21−9 (11−7) | 22 – Perrantes | 9 – Salt | 3 – Perrantes | John Paul Jones Arena (14,228) Charlottesville, Virginia |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 8, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN2/ACCN | (6) No. 21 | vs. (14) Pittsburgh Second Round | W 75–63 | 22–9 | 20 – Guy | 8 – Wilkins | 4 – Jerome | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, New York |
| Mar 9, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | (6) No. 21 | vs. (3) No. 22 Notre Dame Quarterfinals | L 58–71 | 22–10 | 12 – Tied | 9 – Hall | 6 – Jerome | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, New York |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 16, 2017* 12:40 pm, truTV | (5 E) No. 24 | vs. (12 E) UNC Wilmington First Round | W 76–71 | 23–10 | 24 – Perrantes | 7 – Hall | 3 – Tied | Amway Center (15,037) Orlando, Florida |
| Mar 18, 2017* 8:40 pm, TNT | (5 E) No. 24 | vs. (4 E) No. 20 Florida Second Round | L 39–65 | 23–11 | 9 – Diakite | 10 – Salt | 3 – Tied | Amway Center (17,308) Orlando, Florida |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region. All times are in Eastern Time.. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received 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 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 21 | 24 | Not released |
| Coaches | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 21 | 23 | RV |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings