2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team represented the University of Virginia during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, in their 111th season of play. The team was led by head coach Tony Bennett, in his seventh year, and played their home games at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 29–8, 13–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Georgia Tech and Miami (FL) to advance to the championship game of the ACC Tournament where they lost to North Carolina. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed where they defeated Hampton, Butler, and Iowa State to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to fellow ACC member Syracuse.

2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball
Charleston Classic champions
NCAA Tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 4
2015–16 record	29–8 (13–5 ACC)
Head coach	Tony Bennett (7th season)
Associate head coach	Ron Sanchez (7th season)
Assistant coaches	Jason Williford (7th season) Brad Soderberg (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Princeton, Motion
Base defense	Pack line
Home arena	John Paul Jones Arena

2015–16 ACC men's basketball standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 3 North Carolina †	14	–	4		.778			33	–	7		.825
No. 4 Virginia	13	–	5		.722			29	–	8		.784
No. 10 Miami (FL)	13	–	5		.722			27	–	8		.771
No. 16 Louisville*	12	–	6		.667			23	–	8		.742
Notre Dame	11	–	7		.611			24	–	12		.667
No. 19 Duke	11	–	7		.611			25	–	11		.694
Virginia Tech	10	–	8		.556			20	–	15		.571
Clemson	10	–	8		.556			17	–	14		.548
Pittsburgh	9	–	9		.500			21	–	12		.636
Syracuse	9	–	9		.500			23	–	14		.622
Georgia Tech	8	–	10		.444			21	–	15		.583
Florida State	8	–	10		.444			20	–	14		.588
NC State	5	–	13		.278			16	–	17		.485
Wake Forest	2	–	16		.111			11	–	20		.355
Boston College	0	–	18		.000			7	–	25		.219
*Ineligible for both the 2016 ACC Tournament and the 2016 NCAA Tournament due to self-imposed postseason ban.
† 2016 ACC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

Last season

The Cavaliers finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 30–4 overall and 16–2 in conference play, finishing in first place in the ACC for the second straight season. Despite their best regular season record in school history of 28–2, and reaching their highest national ranking since 1983, they fell in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament to North Carolina, and in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 to Michigan State.

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Justin Anderson	1	G	6'6"	228	Junior	Montross, Virginia	2015 NBA Draft[1]/Dallas Mavericks[2]
B. J. Stith	2	G	6'5"	205	Freshman	Lawrenceville, Virginia	Transferred[3] to Old Dominion[4]
Darion Atkins	5	F	6'8"	241	Senior	Clinton, Maryland	Graduated/2015 NBA Draft
Maleek Frazier	22	G	5'10"	170	Senior	Charlottesville, Virginia	Graduated
Rob Vozenilek	23	G	6'2"	190	Senior	Richmond, Virginia	Graduated

Coaching changes

On April 1, 2015, associate head coach Ritchie McKay announced that he would be re-taking the head coaching job at Liberty, which he previously held from 2007 to 2009 until coming to Virginia.[5] On April 17, Lindenwood head coach Brad Soderberg was hired.[6] Soderberg had previously served as an assistant at Wisconsin alongside Tony Bennett's father Dick, and was interim head coach following the latter's retirement in 2000.[7] On July 2, 2015, Ron Sanchez was promoted to associate head coach.[8]

Class of 2015 signees

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jarred Reuter PF	Marion, MA	Brewster Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	August 2, 2014[9]
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Mamadi Diakite PF	Conakry, Guinea	Blue Ridge School	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	August 4, 2015[10]
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 85
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: "Virginia 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015. "2015 Virginia Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015. "2015 Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015. "Virginia 2015 Basketball Commitments". 247sports.com. Retrieved 1 January 2015.

Diakite originally committed to the class of 2016, but at the time of his commitment stated that there was an "80-percent chance" that he could reclassify to 2015 and redshirt.[11] On September 3, Bennett announced that Diakite was eligible to join the program.[12]

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous School
Austin Nichols	1	F	6'9"	228	Junior	Collierville, TN	Transferred from Memphis.[13] Under NCAA transfer rules, Nichols must redshirt for the 2015–16 season. After this season he will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Roster

2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Devon Hall 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) RS So Cape Henry Collegiate Virginia Beach, Virginia F 1 Austin Nichols (I)  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Jr Briarcrest Christian/Memphis Collierville, Tennessee G 2 Justice Bartley (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) Fr Montrose Christian School Lilburn, Georgia G 4 Marial Shayok 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 209 lb (95 kg) So Blair Academy Ottawa, Ontario F/C 10 Mike Tobey 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Blair Academy Monroe, New York F 11 Evan Nolte 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Sr Milton HS Milton, Georgia F 13 Anthony Gill 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Charlotte Christian/South Carolina High Point, North Carolina G 15 Malcolm Brogdon 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Greater Atlanta Christian Norcross, Georgia F 21 Isaiah Wilkins 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Greater Atlanta Christian Atlanta, Georgia F 24 Caid Kirven (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Sr Woodberry Forest Raleigh, North Carolina F 25 Mamadi Diakite  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Blue Ridge School Conakry, Guinea F 31 Jarred Reuter 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 243 lb (110 kg) Fr Brewster Academy Marion, Massachusetts G 32 London Perrantes 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr Crespi Carmelite HS Los Angeles, California C 33 Jack Salt 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS Fr Westlake Boys HS Auckland, New Zealand F 34 Jeff Jones (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Jr St. Anne's-Belfield Charlottesville, Virginia G 51 Darius Thompson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) RS So Blackman HS/Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tennessee	Head coach Tony Bennett (Green Bay) Assistant coach(es) Ron Sanchez (SUNY-Oneonta) Brad Soderberg (UW–Stevens Point) Jason Williford (Virginia) Strength and conditioning coach(es) Mike Curtis (Virginia) Athletic trainer(s) Ethan Saliba (Kansas) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: September 24, 2015

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
F/C	Anthony Gill	Mike Tobey	Jack Salt
F	Isaiah Wilkins	Jarred Reuter	Caid Kirven
G/F	Devon Hall	Evan Nolte	Jeff Jones
G	Malcolm Brogdon	Marial Shayok	Justice Bartley
PG	London Perrantes	Darius Thompson

[14]

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 6	Morgan State	W 86–48	1–0	15 – Tobey	8 – Tobey	4 – Tied	John Paul Jones Arena (14,034) Charlottesville, Virginia
Nov 16, 2015* 7:30 pm, ESPN2	No. 6	at George Washington College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon	L 68–73	1–1	28 – Brogdon	8 – Brogdon	4 – Brogdon	Charles E. Smith Center (5,025) Washington, D.C.
Nov 19, 2015* 9:30 pm, ESPN2	No. 6	vs. Bradley Charleston Classic Quarterfinal	W 82–57	2–1	16 – Gill	7 – Gill	8 – Perrantes	TD Arena (3,437) Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 20, 2015* 9:30 pm, ESPNU	No. 6	vs. Long Beach State Charleston Classic Semifinal	W 87–52	3–1	17 – Shayok	6 – Reuter	7 – Brogdon	TD Arena (3,417) Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 22, 2015* 9:30 pm, ESPN2	No. 6	vs. George Mason Charleston Classic Championship	W 83–66	4–1	21 – Brogdon	8 – Tobey	11 – Perrantes	TD Arena (2,820) Charleston, South Carolina
Nov 25, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 12	Lehigh	W 80–54	5–1	23 – Brogdon	5 – Tied	8 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (14,220) Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 1, 2015* 7:30 pm, ESPN	No. 10	at Ohio State ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 64–58	6–1	22 – Brogdon	7 – Gill	6 – Thompson	Value City Arena (12,445) Columbus, Ohio
Dec 5, 2015* 2:00 pm, RSN	No. 10	William & Mary	W 67–52	7–1	16 – Tied	7 – Gill	3 – Shayok	John Paul Jones Arena (14,105) Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 8, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 10	vs. No. 14 West Virginia Jimmy V Classic	W 70–54	8–1	20 – Gill	12 – Gill	4 – Perrantes	Madison Square Garden  New York, New York
Dec 19, 2015* Noon, ESPN2	No. 8	No. 12 Villanova	W 86–75	9–1	22 – Gill	7 – Tied	6 – Brogdon	John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 22, 2015* 9:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 5	California	W 63–62 ^OT	10–1	17 – Gill	7 – Wilkins	6 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (13,265) Charlottesville, Virginia
Dec 30, 2015* 6:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 5	Oakland	W 71–58	11–1	17 – Gill	8 – Wilkins	5 – Brogdon	John Paul Jones Arena (14,465) Charlottesville, Virginia
ACC regular season
Jan 2, 2016 5:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 5	Notre Dame	W 77–66	12–1 (1–0)	24 – Brogdon	6 – Tied	5 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (14,389) Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 4, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 4	at Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash	L 68–70	12–2 (1–1)	22 – Perrantes	8 – Tied	4 – Brogdon	Cassell Coliseum (6,157) Blacksburg, Virginia
Jan 9, 2016 2:00 pm, ACCN	No. 4	at Georgia Tech	L 64–68	12–3 (1–2)	19 – Brogdon	7 – Tobey	4 – Perrantes	Hank McCamish Pavilion (8,073) Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 12, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 13	No. 8 Miami (FL)	W 66–58	13–3 (2–2)	20 – Brogdon	8 – Gill	3 – Tied	John Paul Jones Arena (13,495) Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 17, 2016 6:30 pm, ESPNU	No. 13	at Florida State	L 62–69	13–4 (2–3)	19 – Perrantes	5 – Brogdon	5 – Brogdon	Donald L. Tucker Center (9,158) Tallahassee, Florida
Jan 19, 2016 9:00 pm, ACCN	No. 13	Clemson	W 69–62	14–4 (3–3)	20 – Brogdon	6 – Tied	4 – Tied	John Paul Jones Arena (14,398) Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 24, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	Syracuse	W 73–65	15–4 (4–3)	21 – Brogdon	8 – Gill	7 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (13,305) Charlottesville, Virginia
Jan 26, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 11	at Wake Forest	W 72–71	16–4 (5–3)	28 – Brogdon	7 – Brogdon	5 – Perrantes	LJVM Coliseum (9,221) Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Jan 30, 2016 1:00 pm, CBS	No. 11	at No. 16 Louisville	W 63–47	17–4 (6–3)	13 – Tied	6 – Gill	5 – Perrantes	KFC Yum! Center (21,714) Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 3, 2016 7:00 pm, RSN	No. 9	Boston College	W 61–47	18–4 (7–3)	27 – Brogdon	11 – Gill	4 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (14,310) Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 6, 2016 Noon, ACCN	No. 9	at Pittsburgh	W 64–50	19–4 (8–3)	21 – Brogdon	7 – Wilkins	5 – Wilkins	Petersen Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 9, 2016 8:00 pm, ACCN	No. 7	Virginia Tech Commonwealth Clash	W 67–49	20–4 (9–3)	16 – Gill	5 – Tied	5 – Hall	John Paul Jones Arena (14,395) Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 13, 2016 4:30 pm, ESPN	No. 7	at Duke	L 62–63	20–5 (9–4)	18 – Brogdon	5 – Tied	4 – Shayok	Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, North Carolina
Feb 15, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 7	NC State ESPN Big Monday	W 73–53	21–5 (10–4)	22 – Brogdon	13 – Wilkins	5 – Tied	John Paul Jones Arena (14,016) Charlottesville, Virginia
Feb 22, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN	No. 3	at No. 12 Miami (FL) ESPN Big Monday	L 61–64	21–6 (10–5)	28 – Brogdon	10 – Gill	7 – Perrantes	BankUnited Center (7,016) Coral Gables, Florida
Feb 27, 2016 6:30 pm, ESPN	No. 3	No. 7 North Carolina College GameDay	W 79–74	22–6 (11–5)	26 – Brogdon	9 – Gill	6 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (14,593) Charlottesville, Virginia
Mar 1, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 4	at Clemson	W 64–57	23–6 (12–5)	18 – Brogdon	10 – Gill	4 – Perrantes	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (9,626) Greenville, South Carolina^1
Mar 5, 2016 8:30 pm, ESPN	No. 4	No. 11 Louisville	W 68–46	24–6 (13–5)	17 – Brogdon	20 – Tobey	4 – Perrantes	John Paul Jones Arena (14,088) Charlottesville, Virginia
ACC Tournament
Mar 10, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN	(2) No. 4	vs. (10) Georgia Tech Quarterfinals	W 72–52	25–6	26 – Brogdon	8 – Gill	8 – Perrantes	Verizon Center (20,719) Washington, D.C.
Mar 11, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN	(2) No. 4	vs. (3) No. 11 Miami (FL) Semifinals	W 73–68	26–6	24 – Brogdon	7 – Wilkins	4 – Brogdon	Verizon Center (20,719) Washington, D.C.
Mar 12, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN	(2) No. 4	vs. (1) No. 7 North Carolina Championship game	L 57–61	26–7	15 – Brogdon	9 – Tobey	4 – Brogdon	Verizon Center (20,719) Washington, D.C.
NCAA Tournament
Mar 17, 2016* 3:10 pm, truTV	(1 MW) No. 4	vs. (16 MW) Hampton First round	W 81–45	27–7	19 – Gill	7 – Gill	4 – 3 Tied	PNC Arena (19,722) Raleigh, NC
Mar 19, 2016* 7:10 pm, TBS	(1 MW) No. 4	vs. (9 MW) Butler Second round	W 77–69	28–7	22 – Brogdon	8 – Gill	5 – Brogdon	PNC Arena (19,433) Raleigh, NC
Mar 25, 2016* 7:10 pm, CBS	(1 MW) No. 4	vs. (4 MW) No. 22 Iowa State Sweet Sixteen	W 84–71	29–7	23 – Gill	8 – Gill	9 – Perrantes	United Center (21,490) Chicago, Illinois
Mar 27, 2016* 6:09 pm, TBS	(1 MW) No. 4	vs. (10 MW) Syracuse Elite Eight	L 62–68	29–8	18 – Perrantes	6 – Brogdon	7 – Brogdon	United Center (20,155) Chicago, Illinois
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region ^1 Game played in Greenville, South Carolina, during renovations to Littlejohn Coliseum.. All times are in Eastern Time.

[15]

Rankings

Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Improvement 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	Wk 19	Final
AP	6	6	12	10	10	8	5	5	4	13	13	11	9	7 (1)	7	3	4	4	4	n/a
Coaches	6	6	12	10	10	9	5	5	4	11	13	12	9	7	8	3	4	4	5	5

Team players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
2016	2	36	Malcolm Brogdon	Milwaukee Bucks

Awards and honors

• Tony Bennett
  • USBWA District III Coach of the Year[16]
• Malcolm Brogdon
  • ACC Preseason Co-Player of the Year[17]
  • ACC Player of the Year (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)[18][19]
  • ACC Defensive Player of the Year (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)[18][19]
  • All-ACC First Team[18][19]
  • USBWA District III All-District Team[16]
  • USBWA District III Player of the Year[16]
  • Consensus First-Team All-American[20]
  • NABC Defensive Player of the Year[21]
  • Senior CLASS First-Team[22]
• Anthony Gill
  • All-ACC Third Team (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)[18][19]
  • NABC Allstate Good Works Team[23]
  • USBWA District III All-District Team[16]
• London Perrantes
  • All-ACC Honorable Mention (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)[18][19]

References

1. Schwartz, Brian (April 13, 2015). "Justin Anderson to enter NBA Draft, leave Virginia". Streaking the Lawn. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
2. "Anderson Selected by Dallas in First Round of 2015 NBA Draft" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. June 25, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
3. "B.J. Stith Leaving Virginia Basketball Program" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
4. "B.J. Stith transferring from UVA to ODU". WAVY. April 4, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
5. "McKay Named Head Coach at Liberty" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
6. "Soderberg Named Assistant Coach at Virginia" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
7. Teel, David (April 17, 2015). "Bennett hiring veteran head coach Brad Soderberg for U.Va. staff". The Daily Press. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
8. "Sanchez Promoted to Associate Head Coach" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
9. Goodman, Drew (August 3, 2014). "Basketball Commitment! Jarred Reuter". Streaking the Lawn. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
10. Oakes, Jamie (August 4, 2015). "Mamadi Diakite commits to UVa". Wahoos247. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
11. Oakes, Jamie (August 4, 2015). "Mamadi Diakite goes in-depth about his UVa commitment". Retrieved August 5, 2015.
12. "Virginia Men's Basketball Adds Mamadi Diakite" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
13. "UVa lands coveted Memphis transfer". The Daily Progress. July 26, 2015. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
14. "Game 25 at Duke, Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium)" (PDF). p. 1. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
15. "2015-2016 Schedule". Virginia Cavaliers. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
16. "USBWA NAMES 2015-16 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS" (Press release). United States Basketball Writers Association. March 8, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
17. "North Carolina Picked As 2015-16 ACC Basketball Preseason Favorite" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
18. "ACSMA Announces Basketball Postseason Awards, All-ACC Teams" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. March 6, 2016. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
19. "Brogdon Named Top Player and Defender By ACC Coaches" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
20. Wiley, Paul (March 29, 2016). "2016 NCAA Basketball All-Americans: Malcolm Brogdon named consensus All-American". Streaking the Lawn. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
21. "Brogdon Named NABC Defensive Player of the Year" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
22. "Brogdon Adds Senior CLASS First-Team Honor" (Press release). Virginia Cavaliers. April 1, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
23. "National Association of Basketball Coaches, Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Allstate Name 20 College Basketball Players to 2016 Good Works Teams®" (PDF) (Press release). National Association of Basketball Coaches, Allstate. February 9, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.