2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 5 4 Ron Sanchez 7th 7th 1st Basketball 2015–16 Virginia Cavaliers Virginia_Cavaliers_text_logo.svg 180 Atlantic Coast Conference ACC 29–8 13–5 Tony Bennett 7th Jason Williford Brad Soderberg Blocker-Mover Pack line John Paul Jones Arena Charleston Classic champions NCAA tournament Elite Eight 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. 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 Reason for departure Justin Anderson basketball 1 G 6'6" 228 Junior Montross, Virginia 2015 NBA draftBrian Schwartz http://www.streakingthelawn.com/virginia-cavaliers-basketball/2015/4/13/8399937/justin-anderson-virginia-to-enter-nba-draft-first-round-ranking Justin Anderson to enter NBA Draft, leave Virginia Streaking the Lawn April 13, 2015 April 13, 2015/Dallas MavericksAnderson Selected by Dallas in First Round of 2015 NBA Draft http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/062515aaa.html Virginia Cavaliers June 25, 2015 August 10, 2015 B. J. Stith 2 G 6'5" 205 Freshman Lawrenceville, Virginia Transferredhttp://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040315aaa.html B.J. Stith Leaving Virginia Basketball Program Virginia Cavaliers April 3, 2015 April 3, 2015 to Old Dominionhttp://wavy.com/2015/04/04/b-j-stith-transferring-from-uva-to-odu/ B.J. Stith transferring from UVA to ODU WAVY April 4, 2015 April 4, 2015 April 10, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150410061410/http://wavy.com/2015/04/04/b-j-stith-transferring-from-uva-to-odu/ dead Darion Atkins 5 F 6'8" 241 Senior Clinton, Maryland Graduated/2015 NBA draft Maleek Frazier 1 22 G 5'10" 170 Senior Charlottesville, Virginia Graduated Rob Vozenilek 1 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.http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040115aaa.html McKay Named Head Coach at Liberty Virginia Cavaliers April 1, 2015 April 3, 2015 On April 17, Lindenwood head coach Brad Soderberg was hired.http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041715aaa.html Soderberg Named Assistant Coach at Virginia Virginia Cavaliers April 17, 2015 April 17, 2015 April 18, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150418080204/http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041715aaa.html dead 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.http://www.dailypress.com/sports/teel-blog/dp-teel-time-soderberg-uva-post.html Bennett hiring veteran head coach Brad Soderberg for U.Va. staff David Teel The Daily Press April 17, 2015 April 17, 2015 On July 2, 2015, Ron Sanchez was promoted to associate head coach.http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/070215aaa.html Sanchez Promoted to Associate head coach Virginia Cavaliers July 2, 2015 July 2, 2015 Class of 2015 signees no no 2015 Jarred Reuter PF Marion, MA Brewster Academy 6 8 235 August 2, 2014http://www.streakingthelawn.com/2014/8/3/5964121/basketball-commitment-jarred-reuter Basketball Commitment! Jarred Reuter Drew Goodman Streaking the Lawn August 3, 2014 January 1, 2015 3 3 3 80 4 Mamadi Diakite PF Conakry, Guinea Blue Ridge School 6 10 200 August 4, 2015http://virginia.247sports.com/Bolt/Mamadi-Diakite-commits-to-UVa-38556568 https://web.archive.org/web/20150806012924/http://virginia.247sports.com/Bolt/Mamadi-Diakite-commits-to-UVa-38556568 dead August 6, 2015 Mamadi Diakite commits to UVa Jamie Oakes Wahoos247 August 4, 2015 August 4, 2015 4 4 5 85 4 2015 Virginia 2015 Basketball Commitments 2015 Virginia Commits Virginia 2015 Basketball Commitments 2015 Player Commits virginia 190 virginia 258 1 January 2015 yes 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.Jamie Oakes https://247sports.com/Bolt/Mamadi-Diakite-goes-in-depth-about-his-UVa-commitment-38558617 https://web.archive.org/web/20180519042621/https://247sports.com/Bolt/Mamadi-Diakite-goes-in-depth-about-his-UVa-commitment-38558617 dead May 19, 2018 Mamadi Diakite goes in-depth about his UVa commitment August 4, 2015 August 5, 2015 On September 3, Bennett announced that Diakite was eligible to join the program.http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/090315aac.html Virginia Men's Basketball Adds Mamadi Diakite Virginia Cavaliers September 3, 2015 September 3, 2015 Incoming transfers Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school Austin Nichols basketball 1 F 6'9" 228 Junior Collierville, TN Transferred from Memphis.UVa lands coveted Memphis transfer http://www.dailyprogress.com/cavalierinsider/uva-lands-coveted-memphis-transfer/article_a1c67014-33c1-11e5-8fae-332455dc34c1.html The Daily Progress July 26, 2015 July 26, 2015 Under NCAA transfer rules, Nichols had to redshirt for the 2015–16 season. After this season, he would have two years of remaining eligibility. Roster 2015 Virginia Cavaliers y yes Devon Hall 0 G 6 5 209 SO yes Virginia Beach, Virginia Cape Henry Collegiate y Austin Nichols basketball y 1 F 6 9 232 JR yes Collierville, Tennessee Briarcrest Christian/Memphis I Justice Bartley 2 G 6 6 209 FR Lilburn, Georgia Montrose Christian School W Marial Shayok y 4 G 6 5 209 SO Ottawa, Ontario Blair Academy Mike Tobey y 10 F/C 7 0 260 SR Monroe, New York Blair Academy Evan Nolte 11 F 6 8 228 SR Milton, Georgia Milton HS Anthony Gill basketball y 13 F 6 8 230 SR yes High Point, North Carolina Charlotte Christian/South Carolina Malcolm Brogdon y 15 G 6 5 215 SR yes Norcross, Georgia Greater Atlanta Christian Isaiah Wilkins y 21 F 6 7 230 SO Atlanta, Georgia Greater Atlanta Christian Caid Kirven 24 F 6 9 228 SR Raleigh, North Carolina Woodberry Forest W Mamadi Diakite y 25 F 6 9 195 FR yes Conakry, Guinea Blue Ridge School Jarred Reuter 31 F 6 7 243 FR Marion, Massachusetts Brewster Academy London Perrantes y 32 G 6 2 192 JR Los Angeles, California Crespi Carmelite HS Jack Salt y 33 C 6 11 250 FR yes Auckland, New Zealand Westlake Boys HS Jeff Jones 34 F 6 6 213 JR Charlottesville, Virginia St. Anne's-Belfield W Darius Thompson y 51 G 6 4 196 SO yes Murfreesboro, Tennessee Blackman HS/Tennessee Tony Bennett (Green Bay) Ron Sanchez (SUNY-Oneonta) Brad Soderberg (UW–Stevens Point) Jason Williford (Virginia) Mike Curtis (Virginia) Ethan Saliba (Kansas) https://web.archive.org/web/20130228191109/http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/va-m-baskbl-mtt.html September 24, 2015 Depth chart Virginia Cavaliers Anthony Gill Isaiah Wilkins Devon Hall Malcolm Brogdon London Perrantes Mike Tobey Jarred Reuter Evan Nolte Marial Shayok Darius Thompson Jack Salt Caid Kirven Jeff Jones Justice Bartley http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/va/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/duke.pdf Game 25 at Duke, Durham, N.C. (Cameron Indoor Stadium) February 12, 2016 1 February 16, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160216070925/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/va/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2015-16/misc_non_event/duke.pdf dead Schedule yes yes |- !colspan=12 style="background:#00214e; color:white;"| Non-conference regular season Nov 13, 2015 7:00pm ESPN3 6 yes Morgan State John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Tobey 15 Tobey 8 Tied 4 86–48 14,034 1–0 Nov 16, 2015 7:30pm ESPN2 6 yes yes George Washington Charles E. Smith Center Washington, D.C. College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon Brogdon 28 Brogdon 8 Brogdon 4 68–73 5,025 1–1 Nov 19, 2015 9:30pm ESPN2 6 yes yes Bradley TD Arena Charleston, South Carolina Charleston Classic Quarterfinal Gill 16 Gill 7 Perrantes 8 82–57 3,437 2–1 Nov 20, 2015 9:30pm ESPNU 6 yes yes Long Beach State TD Arena Charleston, South Carolina Charleston Classic Semifinal Shayok 17 Reuter 6 Brogdon 7 87–52 3,417 3–1 Nov 22, 2015 9:30pm ESPN2 6 yes yes George Mason TD Arena Charleston, South Carolina Charleston Classic Championship Brogdon 21 Tobey 8 Perrantes 11 83–66 2,820 4–1 Nov 25, 2015 7:00pm ESPN3 12 yes Lehigh John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 23 Tied 5 Perrantes 8 80–54 14,220 5–1 Dec 1, 2015 7:30pm ESPN 10 yes yes Ohio State Value City Arena Columbus, Ohio ACC–Big Ten Challenge Brogdon 22 Gill 7 Thompson 6 64–58 12,445 6–1 Dec 5, 2015 2:00pm RSN 10 yes William & Mary John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Tied 16 Gill 7 Shayok 3 67–52 14,105 7–1 Dec 8, 2015 7:00pm ESPN 10 yes yes West Virginia 14 Madison Square Garden New York, New York Jimmy V Classic Gill 20 Gill 12 Perrantes 4 70–54   8–1 Dec 19, 2015 Noon ESPN2 8 yes Villanova 12 John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Gill 22 Tied 7 Brogdon 6 86–75 14,593 9–1 Dec 22, 2015 9:00pm ESPN2 5 yes California John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Gill 17 Wilkins 7 Perrantes 6 63–62 OT 13,265 10–1 Dec 30, 2015 6:00pm ESPNU 5 yes Oakland John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Gill 17 Wilkins 8 Brogdon 5 71–58 14,465 11–1 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#00214e; color:white;"| ACC regular season Jan 2, 2016 5:00pm ESPN2 5 Notre Dame John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 24 Tied 6 Perrantes 5 77–66 14,389 12–1 1–0 Jan 4, 2016 9:00pm ESPN2 4 yes Virginia Tech Cassell Coliseum Blacksburg, Virginia Commonwealth Clash Perrantes 22 Tied 8 Brogdon 4 68–70 6,157 12–2 1–1 Jan 9, 2016 2:00pm ACCN 4 yes Georgia Tech Hank McCamish Pavilion Atlanta, Georgia Brogdon 19 Tobey 7 Perrantes 4 64–68 8,073 12–3 1–2 Jan 12, 2016 7:00pm ESPNU 13 Miami (FL) 8 John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 20 Gill 8 Tied 3 66–58 13,495 13–3 2–2 Jan 17, 2016 6:30pm ESPNU 13 yes Florida State Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, Florida Perrantes 19 Brogdon 5 Brogdon 5 62–69 9,158 13–4 2–3 Jan 19, 2016 9:00pm ACCN 13 Clemson John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 20 Tied 6 Tied 4 69–62 14,398 14–4 3–3 Jan 24, 2016 7:00pm ESPN2 13 Syracuse John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 21 Gill 8 Perrantes 7 73–65 13,305 15–4 4–3 Jan 26, 2016 7:00pm ESPN3 11 yes Wake Forest LJVM Coliseum Winston-Salem, North Carolina Brogdon 28 Brogdon 7 Perrantes 5 72–71 9,221 16–4 5–3 Jan 30, 2016 1:00pm CBS 11 yes Louisville 16 KFC Yum! Center Louisville, Kentucky Tied 13 Gill 6 Perrantes 5 63–47 21,714 17–4 6–3 Feb 3, 2016 7:00pm RSN 9 Boston College John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 27 Gill 11 Perrantes 4 61–47 14,310 18–4 7–3 Feb 6, 2016 Noon ACCN 9 yes Pittsburgh Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Brogdon 21 Wilkins 7 Wilkins 5 64–50 12,508 19–4 8–3 Feb 9, 2016 8:00pm ACCN 7 Virginia Tech John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Commonwealth Clash Gill 16 Tied 5 Hall 5 67–49 14,395 20–4 9–3 Feb 13, 2016 4:30pm ESPN 7 yes Duke Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, North Carolina Brogdon 18 Tied 5 Shayok 4 62–63 9,314 20–5 9–4 Feb 15, 2016 7:00pm ESPN 7 NC State John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 22 Wilkins 13 Tied 5 73–53 14,016 21–5 10–4 Feb 22, 2016 7:00pm ESPN 3 yes Miami (FL) 12 BankUnited Center Coral Gables, Florida Brogdon 28 Gill 10 Perrantes 7 61–64 7,016 21–6 10–5 Feb 27, 2016 6:30pm ESPN 3 North Carolina 7 John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia ESPN College GameDay Brogdon 26 Gill 9 Perrantes 6 79–74 14,593 22–6 11–5 Mar 1, 2016 7:00pm ESPNU 4 yes Clemson Bon Secours Wellness Arena Greenville, South CarolinaClemson 1 Brogdon 18 Gill 10 Perrantes 4 64–57 9,626 23–6 12–5 Mar 5, 2016 8:30pm ESPN 4 Louisville 11 John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Virginia Brogdon 17 Tobey 20 Perrantes 4 68–46 14,088 24–6 13–5 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#00214e; color:white;"| ACC Tournament Mar 10, 2016 7:00pm ESPN/ACCN 4 2 yes Georgia Tech 10 Quarterfinals Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Brogdon 26 Gill 8 Perrantes 8 72–52 20,719 25–6 Mar 11, 2016 9:00pm ESPN/ACCN 4 2 yes Miami (FL) 3 11 Semifinals Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Brogdon 24 Wilkins 7 Brogdon 4 73–68 20,719 26–6 Mar 12, 2016 9:00pm ESPN/ACCN 4 2 yes North Carolina 1 7 Championship Verizon Center Washington, D.C. Brogdon 15 Tobey 9 Brogdon 4 57–61 20,719 26–7 |- !colspan=12 style="background:#00214e; color:white;"| NCAA tournament Mar 17, 2016 3:10pm truTV 4 1 MW yes yes Hampton 16 MW First Round PNC Arena Raleigh, NC Gill 19 Gill 7 3 Tied 4 81–45 19,722 27–7 Mar 19, 2016 7:10pm TBS 4 1 MW yes yes Butler 9 MW Second Round PNC Arena Raleigh, NC Brogdon 22 Gill 8 Brogdon 5 77–69 19,433 28–7 Mar 25, 2016 7:10pm CBS 4 1 MW yes yes Iowa State 4 MW 22 Sweet Sixteen United Center Chicago, Illinois Gill 23 Gill 8 Perrantes 9 84–71 21,490 29–7 Mar 27, 2016 6:09pm TBS 4 1 MW yes yes Syracuse 10 MW Elite Eight United Center Chicago, Illinois Perrantes 18 Brogdon 6 Brogdon 7 62–68 20,155 29–8 AP Poll Eastern Time MW Midwest Region Clemson 1Game played in Greenville, South Carolina, during renovations to Littlejohn Coliseum. http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/va-m-baskbl-sched.html 2015-2016 Schedule Virginia Cavaliers September 2, 2015 February 5, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150205111623/http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/va-m-baskbl-sched.html dead Rankings 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1 20 1 20 Pre 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 Yearhttp://www.sportswriters.net/usbwa/news/2016/alldistrict160308.html USBWA NAMES 2015-16 MEN'S ALL-DISTRICT TEAMS United States Basketball Writers Association March 8, 2016 March 8, 2016 Malcolm Brogdon ACC Preseason Co-Player of the Yearhttp://www.theacc.com/news/north-carolina-picked-as-2015-16-acc-basketball-preseason-favorite-10-28-2015 North Carolina Picked As 2015-16 ACC Basketball Preseason Favorite Atlantic Coast Conference October 28, 2015 October 28, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20160203060136/http://www.theacc.com/news/north-carolina-picked-as-2015-16-acc-basketball-preseason-favorite-10-28-2015 February 3, 2016 dead mdy-all ACC Player of the Year (ACSMA, ACC Coaches)http://www.theacc.com/news/acsma-announces-basketball-season-awards-all-acc-teams-03-06-2016 ACSMA Announces Basketball Postseason Awards, All-ACC Teams Atlantic Coast Conference March 6, 2016 March 6, 2016 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20160307040403/http://www.theacc.com/news/acsma-announces-basketball-season-awards-all-acc-teams-03-06-2016 March 7, 2016 http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030716aab.html Brogdon Named Top Player and Defender By ACC Coaches Virginia Cavaliers March 7, 2016 March 7, 2016 ACC Defensive Player of the Year (ACSMA, ACC Coaches) All-ACC First Team USBWA District III All-District Team USBWA District III Player of the Year Consensus First-Team All-Americanhttp://www.streakingthelawn.com/2016/3/29/11326214/2016-ncaa-basketball-all-americans-malcolm-brogdon-consensus-hield-valentine-johnson 2016 NCAA Basketball All-Americans: Malcolm Brogdon named consensus All-American Streaking the Lawn Paul Wiley March 29, 2016 March 29, 2016 NABC Defensive Player of the Yearhttp://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/033116aaa.html Brogdon Named NABC Defensive Player of the Year Virginia Cavaliers March 31, 2016 March 31, 2016 Senior CLASS First-Teamhttp://www.virginiasports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040116aaa.html Brogdon Adds Senior CLASS First-Team Honor Virginia Cavaliers April 1, 2016 April 1, 2016 Anthony Gill All-ACC Third Team (ACSMA, ACC Coaches) NABC Allstate Good Works Teamhttp://static.psbin.com/f/g/eicq0ps3z9jfvl/2016_Allstate_NABC_WBCA_Good_Works_Team_Announcement_Press_Release_FINAL....pdf National Association of Basketball Coaches, Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Allstate Name 20 College Basketball Players to 2016 Good Works Teams® National Association of Basketball Coaches, Allstate February 9, 2016 March 6, 2016 USBWA District III All-District Team London Perrantes All-ACC Honorable Mention (ACSMA, ACC Coaches) References 2 Category:Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball seasons Virginia Virginia Virginia Virginia