# 2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball team

The 2016–17 VCU Rams men's basketball team represented Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams, led by second-year head coach Will Wade, played their home games at Stuart C. Siegel Center as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 26–9, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. In the A-10 tournament, they beat George Mason and Richmond before losing to Rhode Island in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the West region where they lost in the first round to Saint Mary's.
Following the season, head coach Will Wade left VCU to take the head coaching position at LSU following the firing of Johnny Jones. Wade had served has the head coach for the last two seasons making him VCU's shortest tenured head coach since Benny Dees. On March 21, 2017, the school hired Rice head coach Mike Rhoades, who had served as associate head coach under Shaka Smart from 2009 to 2014.

## Previous season

The Rams finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 25–11, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for a first-place. In the A-10 tournament, the Rams lost to Saint Joseph's in the championship game. The Rams received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they beat Oregon State in the first round before losing to Oklahoma in the second round.

## Preseason

The Rams were picked to finish third in the A-10 preseason poll. Mo Allie-Cox was selected to the All-A-10 second team while JeQuan Lewis was selected to the third team. Cox and Lewis were also selected to the All-Defensive team.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jordan Riullano | 3 | G | 5'9" | 185 | Freshman | Bronx, NY | Walk-on; transferred to SUNY Sullivan |
| Michael Gilmore | 11 | F | 6'10" | 215 | Sophomore | Tallahassee, FL | Transferred to Miami (FL) |
| Gerron Scissum | 22 | F | 6'7" | 210 | Freshman | Huntsville, AL | Transferred to James Madison |
| Korey Billbury | 24 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Tulsa, OK | Graduated |
| Melvin Johnson | 32 | G | 6'4" | 193 | Senior | Bronx, NY | Graduated |
| Johnathan Nwankwo | 33 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Freshman | Bronx, NY | Transferred to College of Southern Idaho |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Issac Vann | 11 | F | 6'6" | 190 | Sophomore | Bridgeport, CT | Transferred from Maine. Under NCAA transfer rules, Vann will have to sit out in the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of eligibility left. |

### 2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| De'Riante Jenkins SF | Eutawville, SC | Hargrave Military Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Sep 19, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Malik Crowfield SG | Laplace, LA | Riverside Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jan 21, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 76 ||||||
| Marquell Fraser SG | Hamilton, CAN | The Hill Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | Mar 7, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| 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: "VCU 2016 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015. ||||||

### 2017 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ |
| Marcus Santos-Silva PF | Taunton, MA | Vermont Academy | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Sep 21, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Sean Mobley PF | Melbourne, FL | Montverde Academy | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Sep 25, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Mayan Kiir PF | Bradenton, FL | Victory Rock Prep | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| 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: "VCU 2017 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 12, 2015. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 4, 2016 7:00 pm | | Queens (NC) | L 73–75 | | 24 – Lewis | 9 – Tied | 3 – Williams | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2016* 7:00 pm, WTVR 6.3 | | UNC Asheville | W 80–65 | 1–0 | 15 – Alie-Cox | 6 – Tied (3) | 4 – Brooks | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Nov 15, 2016* 8:00 pm | | at Liberty | W 64–59 | 2–0 | 13 – Lewis | 8 – Alie-Cox | 3 – Williams | Vines Center (3,289) Lynchburg, VA |
| Nov 18, 2016* 7:00 pm, WTVR 6.3 | | Binghamton Battle 4 Atlantis Opening Round | W 81–42 | 3–0 | 14 – Jenkins | 10 – Jenkins | 5 – Williams | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Nov 23, 2016* 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 20 Baylor Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals | L 63–71 | 3–1 | 21 – Lewis | 7 – Doughty | 5 – Lewis | Imperial Arena (1,215) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 24, 2016* 7:00 pm, AXS TV | | vs. St. John's Battle 4 Atlantis 2nd round consolation | W 75–69 | 4–1 | 22 – Williams | 13 – Tillman | 6 – Williams | Imperial Arena (1,597) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 25, 2016* 7:00 pm, AXS TV | | vs. LSU Battle 4 Atlantis 5th place game | W 85–74 | 5–1 | 19 – Lewis | 8 – Tillman | 9 – Lewis | Imperial Arena (1,201) Nassau, BAH |
| Nov 29, 2016* 7:00 pm, MASN | | Princeton | W 81–70 | 6–1 | 23 – Lewis | 7 – Burgess | 12 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 3, 2016* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Illinois Hoophall Miami Invitational | L 46–64 | 6–2 | 10 – Alie-Cox | 7 – Burgess | 3 – Williams | American Airlines Arena Miami, FL |
| Dec 7, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Georgia Tech | L 73–76 $^{OT}$ | 6–3 | 26 – Tillman | 9 – Tillman | 7 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 10, 2016* 8:00 pm, ASN | | at Old Dominion Rivalry | W 67–64 | 7–3 | 20 – Lewis | 8 – Alie-Cox | 4 – Brooks | Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,472) Norfolk, VA |
| Dec 17, 2016* 7:00 pm, ASN | | Middle Tennessee | W 80–77 | 8–3 | 20 – Lewis | 11 – Burgess | 4 – Doughty | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 22, 2016* 7:00 pm, WTVR-TV | | Louisiana–Monroe | W 78–65 | 9–3 | 16 – Alie-Cox | 8 – Doughty | 6 – Brooks | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Dec 27, 2016* 7:00 pm, MASN | | Howard | W 85–51 | 10–3 | 17 – Lewis | 9 – Tillman | 6 – Williams | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Atlantic 10 regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30, 2016 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at George Mason Rivalry | W 73–64 | 11–3 (1–0) | 26 – Lewis | 11 – Tillman | 5 – Williams | EagleBank Arena (7,780) Fairfax, VA |
| Jan 4, 2017 7:00 pm, ASN | | at Duquesne | W 94–87 | 12–3 (2–0) | 23 – Doughty | 7 – Doughty | 9 – Doughty | Palumbo Center (1,038) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Jan 7, 2017 1:00 pm, NBCSN | | Massachusetts | W 81–64 | 13–3 (3–0) | 17 – Lewis | 10 – Tillman | 6 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Jan 11, 2017 6:30 pm, ESPN2 | | George Washington | W 85–55 | 14–3 (4–0) | 20 – Tillman | 13 – Tillman | 7 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Jan 14, 2016 2:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Davidson | L 63–69 | 14–4 (4–1) | 17 – Lewis | 10 – Hamdy-Mohamed | 4 – Lewis | John M. Belk Arena (4,636) Davidson, NC |
| Jan 18, 2017 7:00 pm, MASN | | at Fordham | L 67–69 $^{OT}$ | 14–5 (4–2) | 20 – Tillman | 5 – Tillman | 10 – Lewis | Rose Hill Gymnasium (2,186) Bronx, NY |
| Jan 22, 2017 2:00 pm, NBCSN | | La Salle | W 90–52 | 15–5 (5–2) | 16 – Tillman | 11 – Hamdy-Mohamed | 5 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Jan 27, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Dayton | W 73–68 | 16–5 (6–2) | 18 – Tillman | 9 – Tillman | 5 – Doughty | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 1, 2017 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | Richmond Capital City Classic | W 81–74 | 17–5 (7–2) | 18 – Tillman | 9 – Tillman | 6 – Doughty | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 4, 2017 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | at St. Bonaventure | W 83–77 $^{OT}$ | 18–5 (8–2) | 20 – Alie-Cox | 12 – Tillman | 7 – Lewis | Reilly Center (5,480) Olean, NY |
| Feb 8, 2017 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | at George Washington | W 54–53 | 19–5 (9–2) | 11 – Tillman | 11 – Tillman | 2 – Tied | Charles E. Smith Center (4,012) Washington, D.C. |
| Feb 11, 2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | Davidson | W 74–60 | 20–5 (10–2) | 27 – Lewis | 16 – Tillman | 3 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 14, 2017 6:00 pm, CBSSN | | Saint Joseph's | W 91–81 | 21–5 (11–2) | 34 – Lewis | 13 – Tillman | 10 – Doughty | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 17, 2017 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Richmond Capital City Classic | W 84–73 | 22–5 (12–2) | 16 – Lewis | 7 – Lewis | 5 – Lewis | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 22, 2017 7:00 pm, ASN | | Saint Louis | W 64–50 | 23–5 (13–2) | 17 – Williams | 10 – Tillman | 4 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Feb 25, 2017 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Rhode Island | L 59–69 | 23–6 (13–3) | 14 – Williams | 7 – Brooks | 2 – Brooks | Ryan Center (6,845) Kingston, RI |
| Mar 1, 2017 8:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Dayton | L 72–79 | 23–7 (13–4) | 23 – Allie-Cox | 10 – Tillman | 5 – Tied | UD Arena (13,455) Dayton, OH |
| Mar 4, 2017 2:00 pm, MASN | | George Mason Rivalry | W 72–60 | 24–7 (14–4) | 24 – Tillman | 11 – Tillman | 9 – Lewis | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| Atlantic 10 tournament |||||||||
| Mar 10, 2017 6:00 pm, NBCSN | (2) | vs. (7) George Mason Quarterfinals | W 71–60 | 25–7 | 15 – Jenkins | 7 – Burgess | 6 – Lewis | PPG Paints Arena (6,647) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mar 11, 2017 6:00 pm, CBSSN | (2) | vs. (3) Richmond Semifinals | W 87–77 $^{OT}$ | 26–7 | 18 – Lewis | 14 – Tillman | 7 – Williams | PPG Paints Arena (6,886) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Mar 12, 2017 12:30 pm, CBS | (2) | vs. (4) Rhode Island Championship | L 63–70 | 26–8 | 15 – Lewis | 17 – Tillman | 3 – Lewis | PPG Paints Arena (7,025) Pittsburgh, PA |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2017* 7:20 pm, TBS | (10 W) | vs. (7 W) No. 22 Saint Mary's First Round | L 77–85 | 26–9 | 30 – Lewis | 7 – Tillman | 2 – Tied | Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,341) Salt Lake City, UT |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West Region. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||