# 2015–16 Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Old Dominion Monarchs men’s basketball team represented Old Dominion University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Monarchs, led by third year head coach Jeff Jones, played their home games at the Ted Constant Convocation Center as members of Conference USA. They finished the season 25–13, 12–6 in C-USA play to finish in a three way tie for third place. They defeated Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, and WKU to advance to the championship game of the C-USA tournament where they lost to Middle Tennessee. The received an invitation to the inaugural Vegas 16, which only had eight teams, where they defeated Tennessee Tech, UC Santa Barbara, and Oakland to become Vegas 16 champions.

## Previous season

The Monarchs finished the 2013–14 season 27–8, 13–5 in C-USA play to finish in a tie for second place, after reaching as high as 13–1 to start the season, and being ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history. They lost in the quarterfinals of the C-USA tournament to Middle Tennessee. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Charleston Southern in the first round, Illinois State in the second round, and Murray State in the quarterfinals to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Stanford.

## Pre-season
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Keenan Palmore | 3 | G | 6'1" | 185 | Junior | Stone Mountain, Georgia | Graduated & transferred to Lenoir–Rhyne |
| Javonte Douglas | 10 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Junior | Charlotte, North Carolina | Graduated & transferred to Montevallo |
| Josue Ebondo | 11 | F | 6'7" | 221 | Senior | Euless, Texas | Graduated |
| Deion Clark | 15 | G | 6'3" | 210 | RS Sophomore | Naples, Florida | Transferred to Rollins College |
| Richard Ross | 23 | F | 6'6" | 225 | RS Senior | Wichita Falls, Texas | Graduated |
| Jonathan Arledge | 35 | F/C | 6'9" | 235 | Senior | Silver Springs, Maryland | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| B. J. Stith | 3 | G/F | 6'5" | 205 | Sophomore | Lawrenceville, Virginia | Transferred from Virginia. Under NCAA transfer rules, Stith will have to redshirt for the 2015–16 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Austin Colbert | 11 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Junior | Chesapeake, Virginia | Transferred from Illinois. Under NCAA transfer rules, Colbert will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Payton Pervier | 12 | C | 7'1" | 250 | RS Senior | Snohomish, Washington | Junior college transferred from Dodge City Community College |
| Trey Porter | 15 | F | 6'10" | 200 | Sophomore | Dumfries, Virginia | Transferred from George Mason. Under NCAA transfer rules, Porter will have to sit out for the 2015–16 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2015 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ahmad Caver PG | Atlanta, Georgia | St. John's NW Military Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Oct 7, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Aaron Carver PF | Elizabeth City, North Carolina | South Kent School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Aug 13, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| 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: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015. ||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 5* 7:00 pm | | Christopher Newport | W 85–43 | | 15 – Caver | 7 – 2 tied | 4 – 2 tied | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,426) Norfolk, Virginia |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 13* 7:00 pm | | Niagara Hall of Fame Tip Off | W 67–50 | 1–0 | 20 – Freeman (1) | 9 – Taylor (1) | 4 – Taylor (1) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,150) Norfolk, Virginia |
| November 16* 7:00 pm | | Buffalo Hall of Fame Tip Off | W 77–58 | 2–0 | 22 – Freeman (2) | 9 – Stith (1) | 5 – Biberaj (1) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,906) Norfolk, Virginia |
| November 18* 7:00 pm | | Morgan State | W 79–48 | 3–0 | 22 – Bacote (1) | 10 – Taylor (2) | 3 – 3 tied | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,968) Norfolk, Virginia |
| November 21* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. No. 21 Purdue Hall of Fame Tip Off semifinals | L 39–61 | 3–1 | 17 – Freeman (3) | 7 – Baker (1) | 2 – 2 tied | Mohegan Sun Arena (3,813) Uncasville, Connecticut |
| November 22* 12:00 pm, ESPN3 | | vs. Saint Joseph's Hall of Fame Tip Off | L 64–66 | 3–2 | 15 – Freeman (4) | 10 – Biberaj (1) | 2 – 4 tied | Mohegan Sun Arena (3,813) Uncasville, Connecticut |
| November 28* 4:00 pm, CSN | | at VCU Rivalry | L 67–76 | 3–3 | 21 – Bacote (2) | 6 – Mosley (1) | 6 – Freeman (2) | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, Virginia |
| December 1* 7:00 pm | | at William & Mary Rivalry | L 48–55 | 3–4 | 14 – 2 tied | 8 – Talley (1) | 3 – Bacote (3) | Kaplan Arena (3,256) Williamsburg, Virginia |
| December 4* 7:00 pm | | Delaware State | W 82–38 | 4–4 | 18 – Bacote (4) | 18 – Taylor (3) | 4 – Freeman (3) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,764) Norfolk, Virginia |
| December 12* 2:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at Georgia State | L 64–68 | 4–5 | 16 – 2 tied | 5 – 3 tied | 4 – Freeman (4) | GSU Sports Arena (1,741) Atlanta |
| December 16* 7:00 pm, ASN | | at Richmond | L 61–77 | 4–6 | 15 – Freeman (7) | 10 – Taylor (4) | 3 – Talley (1) | Robins Center (5,533) Richmond, Virginia |
| December 18* 8:00 pm, ASN | | Maryland Eastern Shore | W 77–74 | 5–6 | 21 – Freeman (8) | 8 – Stith (2) | 7 – Freeman (5) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (5,825) Norfolk, Virginia |
| December 22* 7:00 pm, ASN | | Rhode Island | W 71–65 | 6–6 | 30 – Bacote (5) | 10 – Taylor (5) | 5 – Freeman (6) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,298) Norfolk, Virginia |
| December 29* 7:00 pm | | Norfolk State Rivalry | W 68–57 | 7–6 | 20 – Bacote (6) | 13 – Stith (3) | 4 – Freeman (7) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,472) Norfolk, Virginia |
| Conference USA regular season |||||||||
| January 2 12:00 pm, ASN | | Charlotte | W 74–65 | 8–6 (1–0) | 21 – Freeman (9) | 13 – Taylor (6) | 4 – Bacote (4) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,733) Norfolk, Virginia |
| January 7 9:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Louisiana Tech | W 56–53 | 9–6 (2–0) | 21 – Freeman (10) | 8 – Stith (4) | 3 – 2 tied | Thomas Assembly Center (4,807) Ruston, Louisiana |
| January 9 8:00 pm | | at Southern Miss | L 71–73 | 9–7 (2–1) | 24 – Freeman (11) | 12 – Stith (5) | 6 – 2 tied | Reed Green Coliseum (2,779) Hattiesburg, Mississippi |
| January 14 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | UAB | L 71–72 $^{OT}$ | 9–8 (2–2) | 28 – Freeman (12) | 13 – Stith (6) | 6 – Caver (3) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,162) Norfolk, Virginia |
| January 16 4:00 pm, FSN | | Middle Tennessee | L 61–64 | 9–9 (2–3) | 28 – Freeman (13) | 9 – Talley (3) | 4 – Bacote (5) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,067) Norfolk, Virginia |
| January 21 7:00 pm, ASN | | WKU | W 68–62 | 10–9 (3–3) | 28 – Freeman (14) | 9 – Stith (7) | 4 – Bacote (6) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,535) Norfolk, Virginia |
| January 23 2:00 pm, ASN | | Marshall | L 75–78 | 10–10 (3–4) | 37 – Freeman (15) | 13 – Taylor (7) | 7 – Baker (5) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,140) Norfolk, Virginia |
| January 28 7:00 pm | | at Florida Atlantic | W 78–66 | 11–10 (4–4) | 28 – Freeman (16) | 13 – Stith (8) | 3 – 2 tied | FAU Arena (1,517) Boca Raton, Florida |
| January 30 7:00 pm | | at FIU | W 64–60 | 12–10 (5–4) | 25 – Freeman (17) | 11 – Taylor (8) | 4 – Talley (4) | FIU Arena (1,209) Miami |
| February 6 7:00 pm | | at Charlotte | W 74–69 $^{OT}$ | 13–10 (6–4) | 38 – Freeman (18) | 10 – Stith (9) | 4 – Biberaj (3) | Dale F. Halton Arena (4,646) Charlotte, North Carolina |
| February 11 7:00 pm, ASN | | North Texas | W 67–47 | 14–10 (7–4) | 17 – Stith (1) | 11 – Stith (10) | 3 – 2 tied | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,250) Norfolk, Virginia |
| February 13 2:00 pm, ASN | | Rice | L 66–75 | 14–11 (7–5) | 27 – Freeman (19) | 16 – Stith (11) | 4 – Baker (6) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (7,075) Norfolk, Virginia |
| February 18 8:00 pm, FCS | | at WKU | W 59–56 | 15–11 (8–5) | 26 – Freeman (20) | 13 – Stith (12) | 4 – Freeman (12) | E. A. Diddle Arena (3,182) Bowling Green, Kentucky |
| February 20 7:00 pm | | at Marshall | L 65–82 | 15–12 (8–6) | 20 – Freeman (21) | 8 – Baker (2) | 3 – Freeman (13) | Cam Henderson Center (8,520) Huntington, West Virginia |
| February 25 7:00 pm, FSN | | UTEP | W 74–53 | 16–12 (9–6) | 16 – 2 tied | 15 – Stith (13) | 4 – 2 tied | Ted Constant Convocation Center (6,887) Norfolk, Virginia |
| February 27 7:00 pm | | UTSA | W 78–56 | 17–12 (10–6) | 21 – 2 tied | 14 – Stith (14) | 6 – Freeman (15) | Ted Constant Convocation Center (8,372) Norfolk, Virginia |
| March 3 8:00 pm | | at North Texas | W 76–70 | 18–12 (11–6) | 24 – Freeman (23) | 8 – Stith (15) | 5 – 2 tied | The Super Pit (1,878) Denton, Texas |
| March 5 2:00 pm, ASN | | at Rice | W 74–67 | 19–12 (12–6) | 33 – Freeman (24) | 12 – Taylor (9) | 5 – Baker (7) | Tudor Fieldhouse (3,418) Houston, Texas |
| Conference USA tournament |||||||||
| March 9 3:30 pm, ASN | (5) | vs. (12) Florida Atlantic Second round | W 72–46 | 20–12 | 25 – Freeman (25) | 10 – Taylor (11) | 4 – Freeman (17) | Legacy Arena (3,888) Birmingham, Alabama |
| March 10 3:30 pm, ASN | (5) | vs. (4) Louisiana Tech Quarterfinals | W 68–52 | 21–12 | 25 – Freeman (26) | 10 – Taylor (11) | 4 – Freeman (17) | Legacy Arena (9,797) Birmingham, Alabama |
| March 11 4:00 pm, CBSSN | (5) | vs. (8) WKU Semifinals | W 89–77 | 22–12 | 42 – Freeman (27) | 13 – Stith (16) | 5 – Baker (8) | Legacy Arena (6,176) Birmingham, Alabama |
| March 12 2:30 pm, FS1 | (5) | vs. (2) Middle Tennessee Championship game | L 53–55 | 22–13 | 17 – Freeman (28) | 12 – Stith (17) | 2 – Taylor (2) | Legacy Arena (5,519) Birmingham, Alabama |
| Vegas 16 |||||||||
| March 28* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Tennessee Tech Quarterfinals | W 75–59 | 23–13 | 18 – Freeman (29) | 7 – 2 tied | 3 – 3 tied | Mandalay Bay Events Center Paradise, Nevada |
| March 29* 9:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. UC Santa Barbara Semifinals | W 64–49 | 24–13 | 26 – Bacote (7) | 10 – Freeman (2) | 4 – Caver (4) | Mandalay Bay Events Center Paradise, Nevada |
| March 30* 10:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Oakland Championship game | W 68–67 | 25–13 | 24 – Freeman (30) | 15 – Stith (19) | 5 – Taylor (3) | Mandalay Bay Events Center Paradise, Nevada |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||