2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team

The 2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team represented the University of Louisville during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cardinals competed in the Atlantic Coast Conference and were coached by Rick Pitino, in his 16th and final season at Louisville. The team played its home games on Denny Crum Court at the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville. They finished the season 25–9, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They lost to Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Jacksonville State in the first round to advance to the second round where they lost to Michigan.

2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 14
APNo. 10
Record25–9 (12–6 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaKFC Yum! Center
Seasons
2016–17 ACC men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 5 North Carolina144 .778337 .825
No. 16 Florida State126 .667269 .743
No. 14 Notre Dame126 .6672610 .722
No. 10 Louisville126 .667259 .735
No. 7 Duke117 .611289 .757
No. 24 Virginia117 .6112311 .676
Virginia Tech108 .5562211 .667
Miami (FL)108 .5562112 .636
Syracuse108 .5561915 .559
Wake Forest99 .5001914 .576
Georgia Tech810 .4442116 .568
Clemson612 .3331716 .515
NC State014 .000017 .000[3]
Pittsburgh414 .2221617 .485
Boston College216 .111923 .281
2017 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Cardinals finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 23–8, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in fourth place.

The University of Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2015–16 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation over an escort sex scandal involving recruits between 2010 and 2014. None of the players on this team were involved in the allegations. The ban included both the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament.[1][2]

Departures

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Damion Lee0G6'6"210RS SeniorBaltimore, MDGraduated
Trey Lewis3G6'2"185RS SeniorGarfield Heights, OHGraduated
Dillon Avare4G6'0"155RS SophomoreLexington, KYWalk-on; transferred to Eastern Kentucky
Chinanu Onuaku32F/C6'10"245SophomoreLanham, MDDeclared for 2016 NBA draft

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Tony Hicks1G6'1"180Graduate StudentSouth Holland, ILTransferred from Pennsylvania. As a graduate transfer, Hicks will be eligible to play right away.
Dwayne Sutton24F6'5"200SophomoreLouisville, KYTransferred from UNC Asheville. Under NCAA transfer rules, Sutton will have to sit out for the 2016–17 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. Will join the team as a preferred walk-on.

Class of 2016 signees

V. J. King at the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
V. J. King
SF
Cleveland, OHPaul VI Catholic High School6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)179 lb (81 kg)Jun 12, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 8   Rivals: 7  ESPN: 8
  • 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:

  • "Louisville Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com.
  • "2016 Louisville Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Class of 2017 recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Brian Bowen
SF
Saginaw, MILa Lumiere School6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg)Jun 3, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Malik Williams
C
Fort Wayne, INSnider High School7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)200 lb (91 kg)Aug 4, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Darius Perry
PG
Marietta, GAWheeler High School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)170 lb (77 kg)Aug 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan Nwora
SF
Saxtons River, VTVermont Academy6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg)Oct 19, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Lance Thomas
PF
Norcross, GANorcross High School6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)210 lb (95 kg)Oct 30, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
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:

Roster

2016–17 Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F0V. J. King6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg)FrPaul VICleveland, Ohio
G1Tony Hicks6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)180 lb (82 kg)GSSt. Rita
Penn
South Holland, Illinois
G4Quentin Snider6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg)JrBallardLouisville, Kentucky
F/C5Matz Stockman7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)240 lb (109 kg)JrCanarias (BAH)Oslo, Norway
F10Jaylen Johnson6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg)JrYpsilantiYpsilanti, Michigan
G11Jay Henderson (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg)RS SoLake Highland PrepOrlando, Florida
F/C12Mangok Mathiang (C)6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)230 lb (104 kg)RS SrIMG Academy (FL)Melbourne, Australia
F13Ray Spalding6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)215 lb (98 kg)SoTrinityLouisville, Kentucky
F14Anas Mahmoud7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)215 lb (98 kg)JrWest Oaks (FL)Cairo, Egypt
G15Tyler Sharpe (W)6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg)FrBullitt EastLouisville, Kentucky
F22Deng Adel6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoVictory Rock PrepMelbourne, Australia
F23David Levtich6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg)SrNorth OldhamGoshen, Kentucky
F24Dwayne Sutton (W)  6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoduPont Manuel
UNC Asheville
Louisville, Kentucky
G30Ryan McMahon6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)170 lb (77 kg)RS FrCardinal MooneySarasota, Florida
G45Donovan Mitchell6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)SoBrewster AcademyGreenwich, Connecticut
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 3, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 13 Kentucky WesleyanW 109–71 
 16  Adel  7  Adel  5  Hicks KFC Yum! Center (15,836)
Louisville, KY
Nov 7, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 13 BellarmineW 81–60 
 13  Tied  11  Johnson  4  Snider KFC Yum! Center (16,437)
Louisville, KY
Regular season
Nov 11, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 13 EvansvilleW 78–47 1–0
 19  Johnson  11  Johnson  3  Tied KFC Yum! Center (21,129)
Louisville, KY
Nov 14, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 12 William & MaryW 91–58 2–0
 17  King  10  Mathiang  5  Adel KFC Yum! Center (19,314)
Louisville, KY
Nov 17, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 12 Long Beach State
Battle 4 Atlantis opening round
W 88–56 3–0
 14  Johnson  11  Johnson  5  Snider KFC Yum! Center (14,337)
Louisville, KY
Nov 23, 2016*
9:30 pm, AXS TV
No. 10 vs. Old Dominion
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
W 68–62 OT4–0
 18  Snider  12  Johnson  4  Snider Imperial Arena (1,601)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 24, 2016*
2:30 pm, ESPN
No. 10 vs. Wichita State
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals
W 62–52 5–0
 14  Tied  9  Spalding  5  Mitchell Imperial Arena (1,604)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 25, 2016*
3:30 pm, ESPN
No. 10 vs. No. 20 Baylor
Battle 4 Atlantis championship
L 63–66 5–1
 17  Mitchell  8  Mitchell  4  Mitchell Imperial Arena (1,655)
Nassau, Bahamas
Nov 30, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 14 No. 15 Purdue
ACC–Big Ten Challenge
W 71–64 6–1
 11  Tied  9  Spalding  2  Tied (3) KFC Yum! Center (21,841)
Louisville, KY
Dec 3, 2016*
9:00 pm, ESPN3/WAVE
No. 14 at Grand CanyonW 79–70 7–1
 15  Adel  8  Mathiang  4  Snider GCU Arena (7,493)
Phoenix, AZ
Dec 7, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 11 Southern IllinoisW 74–51 8–1
 15  Mathiang  12  Adel  4  Snider KFC Yum! Center (18,894)
Louisville, KY
Dec 10, 2016*
7:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 11 Texas SouthernW 102–71 9–1
 15  Snider  8  Tied  4  Snider KFC Yum! Center (18,152)
Louisville, KY
Dec 17, 2016*
12:00 pm, ACCN Extra
No. 11 Eastern Kentucky
Billy Minardi Classic
W 87–56 10–1
 15  Mitchell  13  Mathiang  6  Snider KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
Louisville, KY
Dec 21, 2016*
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 10 No. 6 Kentucky
The Battle for the Bluegrass
W 73–70 11–1
 22  Snider  7  Spalding  5  Snider KFC Yum! Center (22,783)
Louisville, KY
Dec 28, 2016
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 6 No. 12 VirginiaL 53–61 11–2
(0–1)
 8  Tied (3)  6  Spalding  2  Mahmoud KFC Yum! Center (21,676)
Louisville, KY
Dec 31, 2016*
12:30 pm, CBS
No. 6 vs. No. 16 Indiana
Countdown Classic
W 77–62 12–2
 25  Mitchell  7  Johnson  4  Adel Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,824)
Indianapolis, IN
Jan 4, 2017
9:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE
No. 9 at No. 23 Notre DameL 70–77 12–3
(0–2)
 20  Mitchell  10  Spalding  5  Mitchell Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,420)
South Bend, IN
Jan 7, 2017
2:00 pm, ACCN/WHAS
No. 9 at Georgia TechW 65–50 13–3
(1–2)
 20  Mitchell  12  Spalding  7  Snider McCamish Pavilion (6,160)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 11, 2017
7:00 pm, RSN
No. 14 PittsburghW 85–80 14–3
(2–2)
 22  Snider  8  Tied  5  Snider KFC Yum! Center (21,558)
Louisville, KY
Jan 14, 2017
12:00 pm, ESPN
No. 14 No. 7 DukeW 78–69 15–3
(3–2)
 17  Mahmoud  11  Mahmoud  6  Snider KFC Yum! Center (22,686)
Louisville, KY
Jan 19, 2017
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 12 ClemsonW 92–60 16–3
(4–2)
 18  Tied  10  Johnson  4  Mitchell KFC Yum! Center (21,436)
Louisville, KY
Jan 21, 2017
2:00 pm, ESPN
No. 12 at No. 10 Florida StateL 68–73 16–4
(4–3)
 16  Hicks  13  Mathiang  3  Levitch Donald L. Tucker Center (11,675)
Tallahassee, FL
Jan 24, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 13 at PittsburghW 106–51 17–4
(5–3)
 29  Mitchell  11  Johnson  5  McMahon Petersen Events Center (8,971)
Pittsburgh, PA
Jan 29, 2017
1:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE
No. 13 NC StateW 85–60 18–4
(6–3)
 28  Mitchell  8  Mitchell  5  Mitchell KFC Yum! Center (21,650)
Louisville, KY
Feb 4, 2017
3:00 pm, ACCN/WHAS
No. 6 at Boston CollegeW 90–67 19–4
(7–3)
 19  Tied  7  Tied  3  Tied Conte Forum (7,047)
Chestnut Hill, MA
Feb 6, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 4 at No. 12 VirginiaL 55–71 19–5
(7–4)
 24  King  5  Spalding  3  Mitchell John Paul Jones Arena (14,623)
Charlottesville, VA
Feb 11, 2017
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 4 Miami (FL)W 71–66 20–5
(8–4)
 18  Tied  8  Tied  4  Tied KFC Yum! Center (21,427)
Louisville, KY
Feb 13, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 8 at SyracuseW 76–72 OT21–5
(9–4)
 16  Mitchell  8  Mahmoud  6  Snider Carrier Dome (25,303)
Syracuse, NY
Feb 18, 2017
1:00 pm, ACCN/WAVE
No. 8 Virginia TechW 94–90 22–5
(10–4)
 29  Mitchell  8  Johnson  4  Snider KFC Yum! Center (21,524)
Louisville, KY
Feb 22, 2017
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 7 at No. 8 North CarolinaL 63–74 22–6
(10–5)
 21  Mitchell  6  Adel  3  Mitchell Dean E. Smith Center (21,296)
Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 26, 2017
2:00 pm, CBS
No. 7 SyracuseW 88–68 23–6
(11–5)
 25  Mitchell  11  Spalding  6  Snider KFC Yum! Center (22,482)
Louisville, KY
Mar 1, 2017
9:00 pm, RSN
No. 8 at Wake ForestL 81–88 23–7
(11–6)
 22  Adel  10  Mathiang  3  Adel LJVM Coliseum (11,488)
Winston-Salem, NC
Mar 4, 2017
2:00 pm, CBS
No. 8 No. 19 Notre DameW 71–64 24–7
(12–6)
 20  Mitchell  11  Mathiang  6  Snider KFC Yum! Center (22,612)
Louisville, KY
ACC Tournament
March 9, 2017
2:00 pm, ESPN
(4) No. 10 vs. (5) No. 14 Duke
Quarterfinals
L 77–81 24–8
 21  Adel  7  Mahmoud  5  Snider Barclays Center (17,732)
Brooklyn, NY
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2017
2:45 pm, CBS
(2 MW) No. 10 vs. (15 MW) Jacksonville State
First Round
W 78–63 25–8
 18  Mathiang  10  Mitchell  5  Tied Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,255)
Indianapolis, IN
March 19, 2017
12:10 pm, CBS
(2 MW) No. 10 vs. (7 MW) No. 23 Michigan
Second Round
L 69–73 25–9
 19  Mitchell  7  Mitchell  5  Mitchell Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,293)
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest Region.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP1312101411111069141213648781010Not released
Coaches14121014131111791511147476791014

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References