1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 1985–86 season . The head coach was Rollie Massimino . The team played its home games at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pennsylvania , and was a member of the Big East Conference .
Previous season
Villanova finished the regular season tied for third place in the Big East standings. In the conference tournament , the Wildcats defeated Pittsburgh in the quarterfinal round before losing to St. John's in the semifinals. The team was awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as No. 8 seed in the Southeast region. After escaping the opening round with a 2-point win over Dayton, Villanova knocked off No. 1 seed Michigan, No. 5 seed Maryland, and No. 2 seed North Carolina to reach the Final Four. They shut down Memphis State in the National Semifinals, while Georgetown handled St. John's in the other National semifinal. The Wildcats played a near perfect game to defeat the Hoyas in the championship game , 66–64. As of the 2021–22 season, Villanova is the only No. 8 seed to win the National championship.
Roster
1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site city, state
Non-Conference Regular Season
Nov 22, 1985 *
Drexel
W 66–51
1–0
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 24, 1985 *
Vermont
W 101–61
2–0
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nov 26, 1985 *
at Lamar
L 59–78
2–1
Montagne Center Beaumont, Texas
Nov 29, 1985 *
vs. No. 16 UNLV Great Alaska Shootout
L 49–61
2–2
Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska
Nov 30, 1985 *
vs. UTSA Great Alaska Shootout
W 67–56
3–2
Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 1, 1985 *
at Alaska-Anchorage Great Alaska Shootout
W 71–52
4–2
Sullivan Arena Anchorage, Alaska
Dec 4, 1985 *
at La Salle
W 50–46
5–2
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 7, 1985 *
Wagner
W 85–62
6–2
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 14, 1985 *
vs. Temple
L 73–81
6–3
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 21, 1985 *
vs. Saint Joseph's
L 61–63
6–4
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dec 27, 1985 *
vs. Missouri Rainbow Classic
L 53–72
6–5
Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec 28, 1985 *
vs. Bradley Rainbow Classic
L 56–58 OT
6–6
Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec 29, 1985 *
at Hawaii Rainbow Classic
W 76–61
7–6
Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii
Big East Regular Season
Jan 2, 1986
at Seton Hall
W 62–56
8–6 (1–0)
Brendan Byrne Arena East Rutherford, New Jersey
Jan 4, 1986 *
Marist
W 87–71
9–6
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 6, 1986
No. 4 Syracuse
L 72–77
9–7 (1–1)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 11, 1986
at Providence
W 78–77 2OT
10–7 (2–1)
Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, Rhode Island
Jan 13, 1986
at Connecticut
W 68–59
11–7 (3–1)
Hartford Civic Center Storrs, Connecticut
Jan 18, 1986
Pittsburgh
W 74–70
12–7 (4–1)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 20, 1986
at No. 12 Georgetown
L 72–76
12–8 (4–2)
Capital Centre Landover, Maryland
Jan 25, 1986
Providence
W 80–68
13–8 (5–2)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 27, 1986 *
at Penn
W 68–64
14–8
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 29, 1986
at No. 7 St. John's
L 61–81
14–9 (5–3)
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Feb 4, 1986
at Boston College
W 67–57
15–9 (6–3)
Roberts Center Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 6, 1986 *
Maryland
W 64–62
16–9
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 7, 1986
at Pittsburgh
L 71–85
16–10 (6–4)
Fitzgerald Field House Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 9, 1986
Connecticut
W 59–53
17–10 (7–4)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 12, 1986
at No. 12 Syracuse
L 57–80
17–11 (7–5)
Carrier Dome Syracuse, New York
Feb 15, 1986
No. 9 Georgetown
W 90–88 2OT
18–11 (8–5)
The Spectrum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 18, 1986
No. 6 St. John's
L 76–79
18–12 (8–6)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 22, 1986
Seton Hall
W 78–65
19–12 (9–6)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 25, 1986 *
Monmouth
W 85–52
20–12
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mar 1, 1986
Boston College
W 74–63
21–12 (10–6)
The Pavilion Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Big East tournament
Mar 5, 1986 *
vs. Providence Quarterfinals
W 75–63
22–12
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
Mar 7, 1986 *
at No. 5 St. John's Semifinals
L 64–75
22–13
Madison Square Garden New York, New York
NCAA tournament
Mar 13, 1986 *
(10 SE)
vs. (7 SE) Virginia Tech First Round
W 71–62[ 2]
23–13
LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 15, 1986 *
(10 SE)
vs. (2 SE) No. 6 Georgia Tech Second Round
L 61–66[ 3]
23–14
LSU Assembly Center Baton Rouge, Louisiana
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
SE=Southeast.
[ 4]
Players in the 1986 NBA draft
[ 5]
References
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
Information related to 1985–86 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team