2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

2015–16 Big East men's basketball standings
	† 2016 Big East Tournament winner; Rankings from AP Poll

Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA Tournament National champions; Big East regular season champions; NIT Season Tip-Off champions
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	#1
AP	#6
2015–16 record	35–5 (16–2 Big East)
Head coach	Jay Wright (15th year)
Assistant coach	Baker Dunleavy
Assistant coach	Ashley Howard
Assistant coach	Kyle Neptune
Home arena	The Pavilion; Wells Fargo Center
« 2014–15	2016–17 »

The 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by the school's 8th head coach Jay Wright in his 15th year, the Wildcats were members of the Big East Conference and played most of their home games at The Pavilion, with some select home games at the Wells Fargo Center. The Wildcats finished the season with a record of 35–5, 16–2 to win the Big East regular season. They lost in the championship of the Big East Tournament to Seton Hall. The Wildcats earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a second seed. In the tournament, they defeated UNC Asheville, Iowa, Miami, and overall #1 seed Kansas to earn a trip to the Final Four, the fifth in school history (although the 1971 Final Four season was vacated by the NCAA). In the Final Four, the Wildcats routed #2 seed Oklahoma by the largest margin in Final Four history to face #1 seed North Carolina for the national championship. Led by Final Four MOP, Ryan Arcidiacono, the Wildcats won the National Championship on a three-point shot by Kris Jenkins, assisted by Arcidiacano, as time expired. The Wildcats won the school's second national title, having previously won the 1985 NCAA Tournament. Their 35 wins were the most in school history, breaking a record of 33 set the previous season. In beating #3 seed Miami (AP #10), #1 seed Kansas (AP #1), #2 seed Oklahoma (AP #7) and #1 seed UNC (AP #3), Villanova became the first school in 31 years — since the 1985 Villanova Wildcats — to not only beat four top-three seeds on the way to a national title but to also beat four straight opponents ranked in the AP top 10, in addition to beating AP ranked Iowa in the Round of 32, by an average victory margin of 19 points per game. Villanova's run included two of the ten most offensively efficient games in the analytics era (2002-present), beating Miami and Oklahoma by scoring 1.56 and 1.51 points per possession in the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four, respectively.^[1] It has been called perhaps the most dominant tournament championship run of all time, and the most dominant of the analytics era by a wide margin. ^[2]

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2014–15 season 33–3, 16–2 in Big East play to win the Big East regular season championship. They defeated Marquette, Providence, and Xavier to become champions of the Big East Tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Lafayette in the First Round before losing in the second round to NC State.

With their 31st win of the season, a 63–61 win over Providence in the semifinals of the 2015 Big East Tournament, the Wildcats set a single season record for wins, which would eventually finish at 33.

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Darrun Hilliard	4	G	6'6"	215	Senior	Bethlehem, PA	Graduated/2015 NBA Draft
Dylan Ennis	52	G	6'2"	192	Junior	Brampton, Ontario	Graduated/Transferred to Oregon
JayVaughn Pinkston	22	F	6'7"	235	RS Senior	Brooklyn, NY	Graduated

Incoming Transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Eric Paschall	4	F	6'6"	205	Sophomore	Dobbs Ferry, NY	Transferred from Fordham. Under NCAA transfer rules, Paschall had to sit out the 2015–16 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

Incoming recruits

File:20150401 MCDAAG Jalen Brunson drives to the hoop (3).JPG

Jalen Brunson at the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jalen Brunson PG	Lincolnshire, IL	Adlai E. Stevenson High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 10, 2014
Jalen Brunson PG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 90
Tim Delaney PF	Mullica Hill, NJ	Pitman High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 9, 2014
Tim Delaney PF	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
Donte DiVincenzo SG	Wilmington, DE	Salesianum School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jan 3, 2014
Donte DiVincenzo SG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 80
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: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

2016-17 recruiting class

2016 recruits
Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Omari Spellman PF	Malvern, PA	The MacDuffie School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	272 lb (123 kg)	Feb 20, 2015
Omari Spellman PF	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83
Dylan Painter C	Hershey, PA	The MacDuffie School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sep 16, 2015
Dylan Painter C	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78
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: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Roster

2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Home town
G	0	Henry Lowe (W)	5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	New York, New York
G	1	Jalen Brunson	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	199 lb (90 kg)	Fr	Lincolnshire, Illinois
F	2	Eric Paschall	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	Jr	Dobbs Ferry, New York
G	3	Josh Hart	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jr	Washington, D.C.
F	4	Kris Jenkins	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	260 lb (118 kg)	So	Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G	5	Phil Booth	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	So	Baltimore, Maryland
G	10	Donte DiVincenzo	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Fr	Wilmington, Delaware
G	15	Ryan Arcidiacono	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Langhorne, Pennsylvania
F	20	Patrick Farrell (W)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Sr	Rockville Centre, New York
F	23	Daniel Ochefu	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Sr	Lagos, Nigeria
G/F	25	Mikal Bridges	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	RS Fr	Malvern, Pennsylvania
F	34	Tim Delaney	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	Fr	Mullica Hill, New Jersey
F	45	Darryl Reynolds	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Jr	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F	52	Kevin Rafferty	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Sr	Malvern, Pennsylvania

Head coach

Jay Wright (Bucknell)

Assistant coach(es)

Baker Dunleavy (Villanova)
Ashley Howard (Drexel)
Kyle Neptune (Lehigh)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule

Date Time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
Nov 8, 2015* 12:00 pm	#11	Pace	W 80–45		Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA
Regular season
Nov 13, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS2	#11	Fairleigh Dickinson	W 91–54^[3]	1–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Nov 17, 2015* 8:30 pm, FS1	#11	Nebraska Gavitt Tipoff Games	W 87–63	2–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Nov 20, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS2	#11	East Tennessee State NIT Season Tip-Off	W 86–51	3–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Nov 22, 2015* 4:30 pm, FS1	#11	Akron NIT Season Tip-Off	W 75–56	4–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Nov 26, 2015* 4:30 pm, ESPN2	#8	vs. Stanford NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals	W 59–45	5–0	Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY
Nov 27, 2015* 3:00 pm, ESPN2	#8	vs. Georgia Tech NIT Season Tip-Off championship	W 69–52	6–0	Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY
Dec 1, 2015* 7:00 pm, CBSSN	#8	at Saint Joseph's Holy War	W 86–72	7–0	Hagan Arena (4,200) Philadelphia, PA
Dec 7, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS1	#9	vs. #7 Oklahoma Pearl Harbor Classic	L 55–78	7–1	Bloch Arena (4,024) Honolulu, HI
Dec 13, 2015* 5:00 pm, FS1	#9	La Salle	W 76–47	8–1	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Dec 19, 2015* 12:00 pm, ESPN2	#12	at #8 Virginia	L 75–86	8–2	John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, VA
Dec 22, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS1	#17	Delaware	W 78–48	9–2	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Dec 28, 2015* 7:00 pm, FS1	#16	Penn	W 77–57	10–2	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Dec 31, 2015 12:00 pm, FS1	#16	#6 Xavier	W 95–64	11–2 (1–0)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Jan 2, 2016 10 pm, FS1	#16	at Creighton Big East New Year's Marathon	W 85–71	12–2 (2–0)	CenturyLink Center (17,375) Omaha, NE
Jan 6, 2016 7:00 pm, FS1	#11	Seton Hall	W 72–63	13–2 (3–0)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Jan 10, 2016 7:30 pm, FS1	#11	at #18 Butler	W 60–55	14–2 (4–0)	Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,144) Indianapolis, IN
Jan 13, 2016 8:30 pm, FS1	#6	Marquette	W 83–68	15–2 (5–0)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Jan 16, 2016 1:00 pm, CBS	#6	at Georgetown	W 55–50	16–2 (6–0)	Verizon Center (15,535) Washington, D.C.
Jan 20, 2016 9:00 pm, CBSSN	#4	at Seton Hall	W 72–71	17–2 (7–0)	Prudential Center (8,788) Newark, NJ
Jan 23, 2016 12:00 pm, FOX	#4	#16 Providence	L 76–82	17–3 (7–1)	Wells Fargo Center (7,191) Philadelphia, PA
Jan 31, 2016 12:00 pm, FOX	#6	at St. John's	W 68–53	18–3 (8–1)	Madison Square Garden (12,713) New York, NY
Feb 3, 2016 8:00 pm, CBSSN	#3	Creighton	W 83–58	19–3 (9–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Feb 6, 2016 2:30 pm, FS1	#3	at #11 Providence	W 72–60	20–3 (10–1)	Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,883) Providence, RI
Feb 9, 2016 8:30 pm, FS1	#1	at DePaul	W 86–59	21–3 (11–1)	Allstate Arena (6,393) Rosemont, IL
Feb 13, 2016 8:00 pm, CBSSN	#1	St. John's	W 73–63	22–3 (12–1)	Wells Fargo Center (18,052) Philadelphia, PA
Feb 17, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN2	#1	at Temple	W 83–67	23–3	Liacouras Center Philadelphia, PA
Feb 20, 2016 2:30 pm, FOX	#1	Butler	W 77–67	24–3 (13–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, PA
Feb 24, 2016 7:00 pm, FS1	#1	at #5 Xavier	L 83–90	24–4 (13–2)	Cintas Center (10,727) Cincinnati, OH
Feb 27, 2016 2:00 pm, FOX	#1	at Marquette	W 89–79	25–4 (14–2)	BMO Harris Bradley Center Milwaukee, WI
Mar 1, 2016 7:00 pm, FS1	#3	DePaul	W 62-–83	26–4 (15–2)	The Pavilion Villanova, PA
Mar 5, 2016 12:07 pm, FOX	#3	Georgetown	W 84–71	27–4 (16–2)	Wells Fargo Center (20,173) Philadelphia, PA
Big East Tournament
Mar 10, 2016 12:00 noon, FS1	(1) #3	vs. (8) Georgetown Quarterfinals	W 81–67	28–4	Madison Square Garden (14,863) New York, NY
Mar 11, 2016 6:30 pm, FS1	(1) #3	vs. (4) Providence Semifinals	W 76–68	29–4	Madison Square Garden (17,130) New York, NY
Mar 12, 2016 5:30 pm, Fox	(1) #3	vs. (3) Seton Hall Championship game	L 67–69	29–5	Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY
NCAA Tournament
Mar 18, 2016* 12:40 pm, TruTV	(2 S) #6	vs. (15 S) UNC Asheville First round	W 86–56	30–5	Barclays Center (17,333) Brooklyn, NY
Mar 20, 2016* 12:10 pm, CBS	(2 S) #6	vs. (7 S) #25 Iowa Second round	W 87–68	31–5	Barclays Center (17,401) Brooklyn, NY
Mar 24, 2016* 7:10 pm, CBS	(2 S) #6	vs. (3 S) #10 Miami (FL) Sweet Sixteen	W 92–69	32–5	KFC Yum! Center (19,399) Louisville, KY
Mar 26, 2016* 8:49 pm, CBS	(2 S) #6	vs. (1 S) #1 Kansas Elite Eight	W 64–59	33–5	KFC Yum! Center (19,422) Louisville, KY
Apr 2, 2016* 6:09 pm, TBS	(2 S) #6	vs. (2 W) #7 Oklahoma Final Four	W 95–51	34–5	NRG Stadium (75,505) Houston, TX
Apr 4, 2016* 9:23 pm, TBS	(2 S) #6	vs. (1 E) #3 North Carolina National Championship	W 77–74	35–5	NRG Stadium (74,340) Houston, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region. All times are in Eastern Time. W=West Region E=East Region.

Rankings

On February 8, the 2015–16 Wildcats became the first Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team to reach number one in the AP Poll by climbing to the top of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings.^[4]^[5]

Ranking movement
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll	Pre	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Post	Final
AP	11	11	8	8	9	12	17	16	11	6	4	6	3	1	1	1	3	3	6	N/A
Coaches	9	T8	9	7	6	13	17	16	13	7	4	6	4	1	1	1	2	2	6	1

References

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[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	Jake Nevin Field House (1932–1986) William E. Finneran Pavilion (1986–2017, 2018–present) First Union Spectrum (alternate; 1967–2009) Wells Fargo Center (alternate; 1996–present)
Rivalries	Saint Joseph's
Culture & lore	Will D. Cat City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 (Robert V. Geasey Trophy) "V for Villanova"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

2015–16 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

Contents

Previous season

Departures

Incoming Transfers

Incoming recruits

2016-17 recruiting class

Roster

Schedule

Rankings

References

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2015–16 Big East men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
#6 Villanova	16	–	2	.889	35	–	5	.875
#9 Xavier	14	–	4	.778	28	–	5	.848
#20 Seton Hall †	12	–	6	.667	25	–	9	.735
Providence	10	–	8	.556	24	–	11	.686
Butler	10	–	8	.556	22	–	11	.667
Creighton	9	–	9	.500	20	–	15	.571
Marquette	8	–	10	.444	20	–	13	.606
Georgetown	7	–	11	.389	15	–	18	.455
DePaul	3	–	15	.167	9	–	22	.290
St. John's	1	–	17	.056	8	–	24	.250

† 2016 Big East Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll