1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

The 1986 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. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas. A total of 63 games were played.

1986 NCAA Division I
men's basketball tournament
Season1985–86
Teams64
Finals siteReunion Arena
Dallas, Texas
ChampionsLouisville Cardinals (2nd title, 2nd title game,
7th Final Four)
Runner-upDuke Blue Devils (3rd title game,
5th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachDenny Crum (2nd title)
MOPPervis Ellison (Louisville)
Attendance499,704
Top scorerJohnny Dawkins (Duke)
(153 points)
NCAA Division I men's tournaments
«1985 1987»
Reunion Arena in Dallas hosted the semi-finals and championship game.

Louisville, coached by Denny Crum, won the national title with a 72–69 victory in the final game over Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski. Pervis Ellison of Louisville was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.[1] Louisville became the first team from outside a power conference to win the championship since the expansion to 64 teams, and remains one of only two teams to do so (the other team was UNLV in 1990).

The 1986 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament was the first tournament to use a shot clock limiting the amount of time for any one offensive possession by a team prior to taking a shot at the basket. Beginning with the 1986 tournament, the shot clock was set at 45 seconds, which it would remain until being shortened to 35 seconds beginning in the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and further shortened to 30 seconds (the same as NCAA women's basketball) starting with the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The 1986 tournament was also the last to not feature the three-point shot as of 2023.

LSU's 1985–86 team is tied for the lowest-seeded team (#11) to ever make the Final Four with the 2005–06 George Mason Patriots, the 2010–11 VCU Rams, the 2017–18 Loyola-Chicago Ramblers, the 2020–21 UCLA Bruins, and the 2023-24 NC State Wolfpack. As of 2018, they are the only team in tournament history to beat the top 3 seeds from their region. LSU began its run to the Final Four by winning two games on its home court, the LSU Assembly Center, leading to a change two years later which prohibited teams from playing NCAA tournament games on a court which they have played four or more games in the regular season. Cleveland State University became the first #14 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen, losing to their fellow underdog, Navy, by a single point. This was also the first year in which two #14 seeds reached the second round in the same year, as Arkansas-Little Rock beat #3-seed Notre Dame; however, they lost their second-round game in overtime. Both feats have only occurred one other time. Chattanooga reached the Sweet Sixteen as a 14-seed in 1997, and Old Dominion and Weber State both reached the second round as 14-seeds in 1995.

Every regional final featured a #1 or #2 seed playing a team seeded #6 or lower. The lone #1 seed to not reach the Elite Eight, St. John's (West), was knocked out in the second round by #8 Auburn, which lost to #2 Louisville in the regional final.

It can be argued that these upsets by the 14-seeds launched the NCAA tournament's reputation for having unknown teams surprise well-known basketball powers, and both happened on the same day.[citation needed] Indiana's stunning loss to Cleveland State would be part of the climax in the best-selling book A Season On The Brink.[2]

Another story of the tournament was when Navy reached the Elite 8 thanks to stunning performances by David Robinson. This tournament had no Pac 10 teams advance beyond the round of 64. This did not occur again until 2018.

Schedule and venues

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Baton Rouge
Dayton
Charlotte
Syracuse
Greensboro
Minneapolis
Long Beach
Ogden
1986 first and second rounds
 
Houston
Atlanta
Kansas City
E. Rutherford
Dallas
1986 Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

The following are the sites that were selected to host each round of the 1986 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
West
West 1 St. John's Lou Carnesecca Big East Round of 32 8 Auburn L 81–65
West 2 Louisville Denny Crum Metro Champion 1 Duke W 72–69
West 3 North Carolina Dean Smith Atlantic Coast Sweet Sixteen 2 Louisville L 94–79
West 4 UNLV Jerry Tarkanian Pacific Coast Sweet Sixteen 8 Auburn L 70–63
West 5 Maryland Lefty Driesell Atlantic Coast Round of 32 4 UNLV L 70–64
West 6 UAB Gene Bartow Sun Belt Round of 32 3 North Carolina L 77–59
West 7 Bradley Dick Versace Missouri Valley Round of 32 2 Louisville L 82–68
West 8 Auburn Sonny Smith Southeastern Regional Runner-up 2 Louisville L 84–76
West 9 Arizona Lute Olson Pacific-10 Round of 64 8 Auburn L 73–63
West 10 UTEP Don Haskins Western Athletic Round of 64 7 Bradley L 83–65
West 11 Missouri Norm Stewart Big Eight Round of 64 6 UAB L 66–64
West 12 Pepperdine Jim Harrick West Coast Round of 64 5 Maryland L 69–64
West 13 Northeast Louisiana Mike Vining Southland Round of 64 4 UNLV L 74–51
West 14 Utah Lynn Archibald Western Athletic Round of 64 3 North Carolina L 84–72
West 15 Drexel Eddie Burke East Coast Round of 64 2 Louisville L 93–73
West 16 Montana State Stu Starner Big Sky Round of 64 1 St. John's L 83–74
Midwest
Midwest 1 Kansas Larry Brown Big Eight National semifinals 1 Duke L 71–67
Midwest 2 Michigan Bill Frieder Big Ten Round of 32 7 Iowa State L 72–69
Midwest 3 Notre Dame Digger Phelps Independent Round of 64 14 Arkansas–Little Rock L 90–83
Midwest 4 Georgetown John Thompson Big East Round of 32 5 Michigan State L 80–68
Midwest 5 Michigan State Jud Heathcote Big Ten Sweet Sixteen 1 Kansas L 96–86
Midwest 6 NC State Jim Valvano Atlantic Coast Regional Runner-up 1 Kansas L 75–67
Midwest 7 Iowa State Johnny Orr Big Eight Sweet Sixteen 6 NC State L 70–66
Midwest 8 Jacksonville Bob Wenzel Sun Belt Round of 64 9 Temple L 61–50
Midwest 9 Temple John Chaney Atlantic 10 Round of 32 1 Kansas L 65–43
Midwest 10 Miami (OH) Jerry Peirson Mid-American Round of 64 7 Iowa State L 81–79
Midwest 11 Iowa George Raveling Big Ten Round of 64 6 NC State L 66–64
Midwest 12 Washington Andy Russo Pacific-10 Round of 64 5 Michigan State L 72–70
Midwest 13 Texas Tech Gerald Myers Southwest Round of 64 4 Georgetown L 70–64
Midwest 14 Arkansas–Little Rock Mike Newell Trans America Round of 32 6 NC State L 80–66
Midwest 15 Akron Bob Huggins Ohio Valley Round of 64 2 Michigan L 70–64
Midwest 16 North Carolina A&T Don Corbett Mid-Eastern Round of 64 1 Kansas L 71–46
Southeast
Southeast 1 Kentucky Eddie Sutton Southeastern Regional Runner-up 11 LSU L 59–57
Southeast 2 Georgia Tech Bobby Cremins Atlantic Coast Sweet Sixteen 11 LSU L 70–64
Southeast 3 Memphis State (Vacated) Dana Kirk Metro Round of 32 11 LSU L 83–81
Southeast 4 Illinois Lou Henson Big Ten Round of 32 5 Alabama L 58–56
Southeast 5 Alabama Wimp Sanderson Southeastern Sweet Sixteen 1 Kentucky L 68–63
Southeast 6 Purdue Gene Keady Big Ten Round of 64 11 LSU L 94–87
Southeast 7 Virginia Tech Charles Moir Metro Round of 64 10 Villanova L 71–62
Southeast 8 Western Kentucky Clem Haskins Sun Belt Round of 32 1 Kentucky L 71–64
Southeast 9 Nebraska Moe Iba Big Eight Round of 64 8 Western Kentucky L 67–59
Southeast 10 Villanova Rollie Massimino Big East Round of 32 2 Georgia Tech L 66–61
Southeast 11 LSU Dale Brown Southeastern National semifinals 2 Louisville L 88–77
Southeast 12 Xavier Pete Gillen Midwestern Round of 64 5 Alabama L 97–80
Southeast 13 Fairfield Mitch Buonaguro Metro Atlantic Round of 64 4 Illinois L 75–51
Southeast 14 Ball State Al Brown Mid-American Round of 64 3 Memphis State L 95–63
Southeast 15 Marist Matt Furjanic ECAC Metro Round of 64 2 Georgia Tech L 68–53
Southeast 16 Davidson Bobby Hussey Southern Round of 64 1 Kentucky L 75–55
East
East 1 Duke Mike Krzyzewski Atlantic Coast Runner Up 2 Louisville L 72–69
East 2 Syracuse Jim Boeheim Big East Round of 32 7 Navy L 97–85
East 3 Indiana Bob Knight Big Ten Round of 64 14 Cleveland State L 83–79
East 4 Oklahoma Billy Tubbs Big Eight Round of 32 12 DePaul L 74–69
East 5 Virginia Terry Holland Atlantic Coast Round of 64 12 DePaul L 72–68
East 6 Saint Joseph's Jim Boyle Atlantic 10 Round of 32 14 Cleveland State L 75–69
East 7 Navy Paul Evans Colonial Regional Runner-up 1 Duke L 71–50
East 8 Old Dominion Tom Young Sun Belt Round of 32 1 Duke L 89–61
East 9 West Virginia Gale Catlett Atlantic 10 Round of 64 8 Old Dominion L 72–64
East 10 Tulsa J. D. Barnett Missouri Valley Round of 64 7 Navy L 87–68
East 11 Richmond Dick Tarrant Colonial Round of 64 6 Saint Joseph's L 60–59
East 12 DePaul Joey Meyer Independent Sweet Sixteen 1 Duke L 74–67
East 13 Northeastern Jim Calhoun ECAC North Round of 64 4 Oklahoma L 80–74
East 14 Cleveland State Kevin Mackey Mid-Continent Sweet Sixteen 7 Navy L 71–70
East 15 Brown Mike Cingiser Ivy League Round of 64 2 Syracuse L 101–52
East 16 Mississippi Valley State Lafayette Stribling Southwest Athletic Round of 64 1 Duke L 85–78

Bracket

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* – Denotes overtime period

East Regional – East Rutherford, New Jersey

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Duke 85
16 Mississippi Valley State 78
1 Duke 89
Greensboro
8 Old Dominion 61
8 Old Dominion 72
9 West Virginia 64
1 Duke 74
12 DePaul 67
5 Virginia 68
12 DePaul 72
12 DePaul 74
Greensboro
4 Oklahoma 69
4 Oklahoma 80
13 Northeastern 74
1 Duke 71
7 Navy 50
6 Saint Joseph's 60
11 Richmond 59
6 Saint Joseph's 69
Syracuse
14 Cleveland State 75
3 Indiana 79
14 Cleveland State 83
14 Cleveland State 70
7 Navy 71
7 Navy 87
10 Tulsa 68
7 Navy 97
Syracuse
2 Syracuse 85
2 Syracuse 101
15 Brown 52

Midwest Regional – Kansas City, Missouri

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kansas 71
16 North Carolina A&T 46
1 Kansas 65
Dayton
9 Temple 43
8 Jacksonville 50
9 Temple 61*
1 Kansas 96*
5 Michigan State 86
5 Michigan State 72
12 Washington 70
5 Michigan State 80
Dayton
4 Georgetown 68
4 Georgetown 70
13 Texas Tech 64
1 Kansas 75
6 NC State 67
6 NC State 66
11 Iowa 64
6 NC State 80*
Minneapolis
14 Arkansas–Little Rock 66
3 Notre Dame 83
14 Arkansas–Little Rock 90
6 NC State 70
7 Iowa State 66
7 Iowa State 81*
10 Miami (OH) 79
7 Iowa State 72
Minneapolis
2 Michigan 69
2 Michigan 70
15 Akron 64

Southeast Regional – Atlanta, Georgia

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 Kentucky 75
16 Davidson 55
1 Kentucky 71
Charlotte
8 Western Kentucky 64
8 Western Kentucky 67
9 Nebraska 59
1 Kentucky 68
5 Alabama 63
5 Alabama 97
12 Xavier 80
5 Alabama 58
Charlotte
4 Illinois 56
4 Illinois 75
13 Fairfield 51
1 Kentucky 57
11 LSU 59
6 Purdue 87
11 LSU 94**
11 LSU 83
Baton Rouge
3 Memphis State# 81
3 Memphis State# 95
14 Ball State 63
11 LSU 70
2 Georgia Tech 64
7 Virginia Tech 62
10 Villanova 71
10 Villanova 61
Baton Rouge
2 Georgia Tech 66
2 Georgia Tech 68
15 Marist 53

# - 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.[3][4]

West Regional – Houston, Texas

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First round Quarter-finals Regional semifinals Regional Finals
            
1 St. John's 83
16 Montana State 74
1 St. John's 65
Long Beach
8 Auburn 81
8 Auburn 73
9 Arizona 63
8 Auburn 70
4 UNLV 63
5 Maryland 69
12 Pepperdine 64
5 Maryland 64
Long Beach
4 UNLV 70
4 UNLV 74
13 Northeast Louisiana 51
8 Auburn 76
2 Louisville 84
6 UAB 66
11 Missouri 64
6 UAB 59
Ogden
3 North Carolina 77
3 North Carolina 84
14 Utah 72
3 North Carolina 79
2 Louisville 94
7 Bradley 83
10 UTEP 65
7 Bradley 68
Ogden
2 Louisville 82
2 Louisville 93
15 Drexel 73

Final Four – Dallas, Texas

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National semifinals National Championship Game
      
E1 Duke 71
MW1 Kansas 67
E1 Duke 69
W2 Louisville 72
SE11 LSU 77
W2 Louisville 88

Final Four Officials

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  • Joe Forte (LSU-Louisville)
  • Dick Paparo (LSU-Louisville)
  • Lenny Wirtz (LSU-Louisville)
  • Paul Galvan (Kansas-Duke)
  • John Clougherty (Kansas-Duke)
  • Tom Fincken (Kansas-Duke)
  • Hank Nichols (Louisville-Duke)
  • Pete Pavia (Louisville-Duke)
  • Don Rutledge (Louisville-Duke)

The 1986 Final Four was the first in which the NCAA assigned a separate three-man crew for the championship game. Previously, three of the six officials from the semifinals were melded into a crew for the championship.

The championship game was the last for future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Hank Nichols, who became the NCAA's national supervisor of officials. The Louisville-Duke matchup was Nichols' sixth championship game assignment.

Announcers

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Studio Hosts:

CBS: Brent Musburger (First and Second Rounds), and Jim Nantz (Regional Semifinals to National Championship Game)

ESPN: Bob Ley and Dick Vitale

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wittry, Andy (May 8, 2020). "1986 NCAA tournament: Bracket, scores, stats, rounds". NCAA official website. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  2. ^ Fagan, Ryan (March 15, 2019). "Ranking the top 80 upsets in March Madness history". Sporting News. Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "TROUBLED TIMES AT MEMPHIS STATE". Sports Illustrated. June 24, 1985. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Mauro, Patrick (August 22, 2009). "The NCAA's Toothless Punishment Of Memphis". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 15, 2024.