Ms. Hamilton's eighth-grade class wants to participate in the annual three-person-team basketball tournament. The losing team of each game is eliminated from the tournament. If sixteen teams compete, how many games will be played to determine the winner?
$\textbf{(A)}\ 4\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 7\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 8\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 15\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 16$
The remaining team will be the only undefeated one. The other $\boxed{\textbf{(D)}\ 15}$ teams must have lost a game before getting out, thus fifteen games yielding fifteen losers.