1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began on March 14, 1985, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Lexington, Kentucky. A total of 63 games were played.

1985 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1984–85
Teams64
Finals siteRupp Arena
Lexington, Kentucky
ChampionsVillanova Wildcats (1st title, 1st title game,
2nd Final Four)
Runner-upGeorgetown Hoyas (4th title game,
5th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachRollie Massimino (1st title)
MOPEd Pinckney (Villanova)
Attendance422,519
Top scorerChris Mullin (St. John's)
(110 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1984 1986»

Eighth-seed Villanova, coached by Rollie Massimino, won their first national title with a 66–64 victory in the final game over Georgetown, coached by John Thompson. Ed Pinckney of Villanova was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. The game, often cited as "The Perfect Game", is widely considered among the greatest upsets in college basketball history, and is the second biggest point-spread upset in Championship Game history.[1][2] This Villanova team remains the lowest-seeded team to win the tournament. The Wildcats are also notable as the last Division I men's national champion to date to represent a school that did not sponsor varsity football at the time of its title (Villanova had dropped football after the 1980 season and did not reinstate the sport until the 1985 season, the first after the championship game). The game is also notable as the last played without a shot clock.

This year's Final Four saw an unprecedented and unmatched three teams from the same conference, with Big East members Villanova and Georgetown joined by St. John's. The only "interloper" in the Big East party was Memphis State, then of the Metro Conference (Memphis State's 1985 Final Four appearance was vacated due to using ineligible players, as were all of its tournament appearances from 1982 to 1986). Lehigh, champion of the East Coast Conference Tournament, became the first team in NCAA Tournament history to compete with a record below .500, as they were 12–18 at the time they played in the First Round.[3]

This was also the first year that one of the regionals was named "Southeast", replacing "Mideast". This name was used until 1998, when the regional was renamed "South". This was also the last tournament until 2010 to feature two private schools in the title game. This tournament was also the last until 2012 to feature no teams in the Sweet 16 from the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones.

This tournament's East Region is the only one in NCAA Tournament history in which the higher-seeded team won every game.

Schedule and venues

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Atlanta
Dayton
Albuquerque
Hartford
Houston
South Bend
Tulsa
Salt Lake City
1985 first and second rounds
 
Dallas
Providence
Birmingham
Denver
Lexington
1985 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1985 tournament:

First and Second Rounds

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship)

Teams

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Region Seed Team Coach Conference Finished Final Opponent Score
East
East 1 Georgetown John Thompson Big East Runner-up 8 Villanova L 66–64
East 2 Georgia Tech Bobby Cremins Atlantic Coast Regional Runner-up 1 Georgetown L 60–54
East 3 Illinois Lou Henson Big Ten Sweet Sixteen 2 Georgia Tech L 61–53
East 4 Loyola Chicago Gene Sullivan Midwestern City Sweet Sixteen 1 Georgetown L 65–53
East 5 SMU Dave Bliss Southwest Round of 32 4 Loyola–Chicago L 70–57
East 6 Georgia Hugh Durham Southeastern Round of 32 3 Illinois L 74–58
East 7 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big East Round of 32 2 Georgia Tech L 70–53
East 8 Temple John Chaney Atlantic 10 Round of 32 1 Georgetown L 63–46
East 9 Virginia Tech Charles Moir Metro Round of 64 8 Temple L 60–57
East 10 DePaul Joey Meyer Independent Round of 64 7 Syracuse L 70–65
East 11 Wichita State Gene Smithson Missouri Valley Round of 64 6 Georgia L 67–59
East 12 Old Dominion Paul Webb Sun Belt Round of 64 5 SMU L 85–68
East 13 Iona Pat Kennedy Metro Atlantic Round of 64 4 Loyola–Chicago L 59–58
East 14 Northeastern Jim Calhoun ECAC North Round of 64 3 Illinois L 76–57
East 15 Mercer Bill Bibb Trans America Round of 64 2 Georgia Tech L 65–58
East 16 Lehigh Tom Schneider East Coast Round of 64 1 Georgetown L 68–43
Midwest
Midwest 1 Oklahoma Billy Tubbs Big Eight Regional Runner-up 2 Memphis State L 63–61
Midwest 2 Memphis State Dana Kirk Metro National semifinals 8 Villanova L 52–45
Midwest 3 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Atlantic Coast Round of 32 11 Boston College L 74–73
Midwest 4 Ohio State Eldon Miller Big Ten Round of 32 5 Louisiana Tech L 79–67
Midwest 5 Louisiana Tech Andy Russo Southland Sweet Sixteen 1 Oklahoma L 86–84
Midwest 6 Texas Tech Gerald Myers Southwest Round of 64 11 Boston College L 55–53
Midwest 7 UAB Gene Bartow Sun Belt Round of 32 2 Memphis State L 67–66
Midwest 8 USC Stan Morrison Pacific-10 Round of 64 9 Illinois State L 58–55
Midwest 9 Illinois State Bob Donewald Missouri Valley Round of 32 1 Oklahoma L 75–69
Midwest 10 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Big Ten Round of 64 7 UAB L 70–68
Midwest 11 Boston College Gary Williams Big East Sweet Sixteen 2 Memphis State L 59–57
Midwest 12 Pittsburgh Roy Chipman Big East Round of 64 5 Louisiana Tech L 78–54
Midwest 13 Iowa State Johnny Orr Big Eight Round of 64 4 Ohio State L 75–64
Midwest 14 Pepperdine Jim Harrick West Coast Round of 64 3 Duke L 75–62
Midwest 15 Penn Craig Littlepage Ivy League Round of 64 2 Memphis State L 67–55
Midwest 16 North Carolina A&T Don Corbett Mid-Eastern Round of 64 1 Oklahoma L 96–83
Southeast
Southeast 1 Michigan Bill Frieder Big Ten Round of 32 8 Villanova L 59–55
Southeast 2 North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic Coast Regional Runner-up 8 Villanova L 56–44
Southeast 3 Kansas Larry Brown Big Eight Round of 32 11 Auburn L 66–64
Southeast 4 LSU Dale Brown Southeastern Round of 64 13 Navy L 78–55
Southeast 5 Maryland Lefty Driesell Atlantic Coast Sweet Sixteen 8 Villanova L 46–43
Southeast 6 Purdue Gene Keady Big Ten Round of 64 11 Auburn L 59–58
Southeast 7 Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Round of 32 2 North Carolina L 60–58
Southeast 8 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big East Champion 1 Georgetown W 66–64
Southeast 9 Dayton Don Donoher Independent Round of 64 8 Villanova L 51–49
Southeast 10 Oregon State Ralph Miller Pacific-10 Round of 64 7 Notre Dame L 79–70
Southeast 11 Auburn Sonny Smith Southeastern Sweet Sixteen 2 North Carolina L 62–56
Southeast 12 Miami (OH) Jerry Peirson Mid-American Round of 64 5 Maryland L 69–68
Southeast 13 Navy Paul Evans ECAC South Round of 32 5 Maryland L 64–59
Southeast 14 Ohio Danny Nee Mid-American Round of 64 3 Kansas L 49–38
Southeast 15 Middle Tennessee State Bruce Stewart Ohio Valley Round of 64 2 North Carolina L 76–57
Southeast 16 Fairleigh Dickinson Tom Green ECAC Metro Round of 64 1 Michigan L 59–55
West
West 1 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Big East National semifinals 1 Georgetown L 77–59
West 2 VCU J. D. Barnett Sun Belt Round of 32 7 Alabama L 63–59
West 3 NC State Jim Valvano Atlantic Coast Regional Runner-up 1 St. John's L 69–60
West 4 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Pacific Coast Round of 32 12 Kentucky L 64–61
West 5 Washington Marv Harshman Pacific-10 Round of 64 12 Kentucky L 66–58
West 6 Tulsa Nolan Richardson Missouri Valley Round of 64 11 UTEP L 79–75
West 7 Alabama Wimp Sanderson Southeastern Sweet Sixteen 3 NC State L 61–55
West 8 Iowa George Raveling Big Ten Round of 64 9 Arkansas L 63–54
West 9 Arkansas Eddie Sutton Southwest Round of 32 1 St. John's L 68–65
West 10 Arizona Lute Olson Pacific-10 Round of 64 7 Alabama L 50–41
West 11 UTEP Don Haskins Western Athletic Round of 32 3 NC State L 86–73
West 12 Kentucky Joe B. Hall Southeastern Sweet Sixteen 1 St. John's L 86–70
West 13 San Diego State Smokey Gaines Western Athletic Round of 64 4 UNLV L 85–80
West 14 Nevada Sonny Allen Big Sky Round of 64 3 NC State L 65–56
West 15 Marshall Rick Huckabay Southern Round of 64 2 VCU L 81–65
West 16 Southern Robert Hopkins Southwestern Athletic Round of 64 1 St. John's L 83–59

Bracket

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* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – Providence, Rhode Island

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Georgetown 68
16 Lehigh 43
1 Georgetown 63
Hartford
8 Temple 46
8 Temple 60
9 Virginia Tech 57
1 Georgetown 65
4 Loyola Chicago 53
5 SMU 85
12 Old Dominion 68
5 SMU 57
Hartford
4 Loyola Chicago 70
4 Loyola–Chicago 59
13 Iona 58
1 Georgetown 60
2 Georgia Tech 54
6 Georgia 67
11 Wichita State 59
6 Georgia 58
Atlanta
3 Illinois 74
3 Illinois 76
14 Northeastern 57
3 Illinois 53
2 Georgia Tech 61
7 Syracuse 70
10 DePaul 65
7 Syracuse 53
Atlanta
2 Georgia Tech 70
2 Georgia Tech 65
15 Mercer 58

Regional Final Summary

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CBS
Saturday, March 23
#1 Georgetown Hoyas 60, #2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 54
Pts: P. Ewing – 14
Rebs: R. Dalton – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 5
Pts: J. Salley – 15
Rebs: J. Salley – 5
Asts: S. Petway – 4
Halftime Score: 29–29
Providence Civic Center – Providence, Rhode Island

West Regional – Denver, Colorado

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 St John's 83
16 Southern 59
1 St John's 68
Salt Lake City
9 Arkansas 65
8 Iowa 54
9 Arkansas 63
1 St John's 86
12 Kentucky 70
5 Washington 58
12 Kentucky 66
12 Kentucky 64
Salt Lake City
4 UNLV 61
4 UNLV 85
13 San Diego State 80
1 St John's 69
3 NC State 60
6 Tulsa 75
11 UTEP 79
11 UTEP 73
Albuquerque
3 NC State 86
3 NC State 65
14 Nevada 56
3 NC State 61
7 Alabama 55
7 Alabama 50
10 Arizona 41
7 Alabama 63
Albuquerque
2 VCU 59
2 VCU 81
15 Marshall 65

First round Summary

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NCAA Productions
ESPN
Thursday, March 14
12:07 PM MST/2:07 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen 83, #16 Southern Jaguars 59
Pts: W. Berry – 24
Rebs: W. Berry – 13
Asts: C. Mullin – 6

Halftime Score: St. John's, 34–18
Special Events Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 6,928

Second Round Summary

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CBS
Saturday, March 16
2:30 PM MST/4:30 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen 68, #9 Arkansas Razorbacks 65
Special Events Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Attendance: 9,226

Regional semifinal Summary

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CBS
Friday, March 22
8:09 PM MST/10:09 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen 86, #12 Kentucky Wildcats 70
Pts: C. Mullin – 30
Rebs: W. Berry – 7
Asts: C. Mullin – 7
Pts: K. Walker – 23
Rebs: K. Walker – 8
Asts: R. Harden – 7
Halftime Score: St. John's, 39–38
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,022
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin

Regional Final Summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 24
2:03 PM MST/4:03 PM EST
#1 St. John's Redmen 69, #3 NC State Wolfpack 60
Pts: C. Mullin – 25
Rebs: B. Wennington – 10
Asts: M. Moses, M. Jackson – 5
Pts: L. Charles – 15
Rebs: L. Charles, C. McQueen – 11
Asts: S. Webb – 9
Halftime Score: St. John's, 30–29
McNichols Sports Arena – Denver, Colorado
Attendance: 17,022
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Willis McJunkin

Southeast Regional – Birmingham, Alabama

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Michigan 59
16 Fairleigh Dickinson 55
1 Michigan 55
Dayton
8 Villanova 59
8 Villanova 51
9 Dayton 49
8 Villanova 46
5 Maryland 43
5 Maryland 69*
12 Miami (OH) 68
5 Maryland 64
Dayton
13 Navy 59
4 LSU 55
13 Navy 78
8 Villanova 56
2 North Carolina 44
6 Purdue 58
11 Auburn 59
11 Auburn 66
South Bend
3 Kansas 64
3 Kansas 49
14 Ohio 38
11 Auburn 56
2 North Carolina 62
7 Notre Dame 79
10 Oregon State 70
7 Notre Dame 58
South Bend
2 North Carolina 60
2 North Carolina 76
15 Middle Tennessee State 57

Regional Final Summary

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CBS
Sunday, March 24
#8 Villanova Wildcats 56, #2 North Carolina Tar Heels 44
Pts: H. Pressley – 15
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 7
Asts: E. Pinckney, H. Jensen – 3
Pts: B. Daugherty – 17
Rebs: B. Daugherty – 12
Asts: J. Wolf, K. Smith – 5
Halftime Score: North Carolina, 22–17
BJCC Coliseum – Birmingham, Alabama

Midwest Regional – Dallas, Texas

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Oklahoma 96
16 North Carolina A&T 83
1 Oklahoma 75
Tulsa
9 Illinois State 69
8 USC 55
9 Illinois State 58
1 Oklahoma 86*
5 Louisiana Tech 84
5 Louisiana Tech 78
12 Pittsburgh 54
5 Louisiana Tech 79
Tulsa
4 Ohio State 67
4 Ohio State 75
13 Iowa State 64
1 Oklahoma 61
2 Memphis State# 63
6 Texas Tech 53
11 Boston College 55
11 Boston College 74
Houston
3 Duke 73
3 Duke 75
14 Pepperdine 62
11 Boston College 57
2 Memphis State# 59
7 UAB 70
10 Michigan State 68
7 UAB 66
Houston
2 Memphis State# 67*
2 Memphis State# 67
15 Penn 55

* - denotes overtime

Regional Final Summary

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CBS
Saturday, March 23
#2 Memphis State Tigers 63, #1 Oklahoma Sooners 61
Pts: D. Kennedy – 16
Rebs: W. Tisdale – 12
Asts: T. McCalister, A. Bowie – 5
Pts: K. Lee – 23
Rebs: K. Lee – 11
Asts: A. Turner – 12
Halftime Score: 33–33
Reunion Arena – Dallas, Texas

Final Four – Lexington, Kentucky

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National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E1 Georgetown 77
W1 St John's 59
E1 Georgetown 64
S8 Villanova 66
S8 Villanova 52
M2 Memphis State# 45

# - Memphis State was forced to vacate its NCAA tournament appearance after a massive gambling scandal and a criminal investigation into head coach Dana Kirk. Unlike forfeiture, a vacated game does not result in the other school being credited with a win, only with Memphis removing the wins from its own record.[4][5]

Game summaries

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CBS
Saturday, March 30
#8 Villanova Wildcats 52, #2 Memphis State Tigers 45
Pts: D. McClain – 19
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 9
Asts: M. Plansky, G. McLain, D. McClain – 2
Pts: A. Turner – 11
Rebs: Vincent Askew, W. Bedford, K. Lee – 7
Asts: V. Askew – 7
Halftime Score: 23–23
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky
CBS
Saturday, March, 30
#1 Georgetown Hoyas 77, #1 St. John's Redmen 59
Pts: R. Williams – 20
Rebs: D. Wingate – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 11
Pts: W. Glass – 13
Rebs: W. Berry – 6
Asts: M. Jackson – 5
Halftime Score: Georgetown, 32–28
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky

National Championship

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CBS
Monday, April 1
#8 Villanova Wildcats 66, #1 Georgetown Hoyas 64
Pts: D. McClain – 17
Rebs: E. Pinckney – 6
Asts: E. Pinckney – 5
Pts: D. Wingate – 16
Rebs: B. Martin, P. Ewing – 5
Asts: M. Jackson – 9
Halftime Score: Villanova, 29–28
Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky
Referees: John Clougherty, Bobby Dibler, Don Rutledge

Announcers

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Television

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CBS Sports

  • Brent Musburger First round (Kentucky–Washington), (Arizona–Alabama), second round & Dick Stockton Regional, Final Four served as studio hosts and Bill Raftery Regional, Final Four served as studio analyst.
  • Dick Stockton/Brent Musburger and Billy Packer – Stockton/Packer, first round (Kentucky–Washington), second round at Salt Lake City, Utah & Houston, Texas; Musburger/Packer, East Regionals at Providence, Rhode Island, Southeast Regional Finals at Birmingham, Alabama, Final Four at Lexington, Kentucky
  • Gary Bender and Doug Collins – Second Round at South Bend, Indiana & Dayton, Ohio, West Regionals at Denver, Colorado
  • Frank Glieber and James Brown – Second Round at Hartford, Connecticut, Midwest Regionals at Dallas, Texas
  • Pat Summerall/Verne Lundquist and Larry Conley – Summerall/Conley, second round at Atlanta, Georgia; Lundquist/Conley, Southeast Regional semifinals (Auburn–North Carolina) at Birmingham, Alabama
  • Verne Lundquist and Steve Grote – First round (Arizona–Alabama) & Second Round at Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Tim Ryan and Bill Raftery – Second Round at Tulsa, Oklahoma

ESPN and NCAA Productions

  • Bob Ley (NCAA Tournament Today/NCAA Tournament Tonight) served as studio host and Dick Vitale served as studio analyst.
  • – First round (Lehigh–Georgetown) & (Old Dominion–SMU) at Hartford, Connecticut
  • – First round (Virginia Tech–Temple) & (Iona–Loyola-Chicago) at Hartford, Connecticut
  • Mike Patrick and Larry Conley – First round (Northeastern–Illinois) & (Mercer–Georgia Tech) at Atlanta, Georgia
  • – First round (Wichita State–Georgia) & (DePaul–Syracuse) at Atlanta, Georgia
  • – First round (Iowa State–Ohio State) & (Illinois State–Southern California) at Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • – First round (Pittsburgh–Louisiana Tech) & (North Carolina A&T–Oklahoma) at Tulsa, Oklahoma
  • – First round (Penn–Memphis State) & (Pepperdine–Duke) at Houston, Texas
  • – First round (Navy–Louisiana State) & (Dayton–Villanova) at Dayton, Ohio
  • Frank Herzog/Ralph Hacker and Joe Dean– First round (Miami (OH)–Maryland) & (Fairleigh Dickinson–Michigan) at Dayton, Ohio
  • – First round (Ohio–Kansas) & (Oregon State–Notre Dame) at South Bend, Indiana
  • Tom Hammond and Jack Givens – First round (Auburn–Purdue) & (Middle Tennessee–North Carolina) at South Bend, Indiana
  • – First round (Southern–St. John's) at Salt Lake City, Utah
  • – First round (Arkansas–Iowa) & (San Diego State–UNLV) at Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Larry Zimmer and Ted Owens – First round (Nevada–NC State) at Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • – First round (UTEP–Tulsa) & (Marshall–VCU) at Albuquerque, New Mexico
  • Frank Fallon and Gary Thompson- First round (Michigan State–UAB) & (Boston College–Texas Tech) at Houston, Texas Midwest Regional semifinals (Louisiana Tech–Oklahoma) at Dallas, Texas
  • Mike Patrick and Larry Conley – Southeast Regional semifinals (Villanova–Maryland) at Birmingham, Alabama

Radio

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Regionals

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CBS Radio

  • – East Regionals at Providence, Rhode Island
  • – Midwest Regionals at Dallas, Texas
  • – Southeast Regionals at Birmingham, Alabama
  • – West Regionals at Denver, Colorado

Final four

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  • – at Lexington, Kentucky

Further reading

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  • Pinckney, Ed; Gordon, Robert (2004). Ed Pinckney's Tales from the Villanova Hardwood: The Story of the 1985 NCAA champs. Champaign: Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-809-7.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Sports Illustrated
  2. ^ USA Today
  3. ^ "Teams with the worst records to make the men's NCAA tournament | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "TROUBLED TIMES AT MEMPHIS STATE". Sports Illustrated. June 24, 1985. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Mauro, Patrick (August 22, 2009). "The NCAA's Toothless Punishment Of Memphis". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 15, 2024.