1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

Season headlines

• The Big South Conference began conference play. It had been founded in 1983, but its members had played as Division I independents until this season.
• The ECAC South renamed itself the Colonial Athletic Association. It renamed itself the Coastal Athletic Association in 2023.
• The Midwestern City Conference renamed itself the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. It renamed itself the Horizon League in 2001.
• Blocked shots and steals both became official statistics tracked by the NCAA. David Robinson of Navy became the first national blocked shot champion, averaging 5.91 per game for the season. The first steals champion was Darron Brittman of Chicago State, with 4.96 per game.
• LSU, seeded 11th in the 1986 NCAA tournament's Southeast Region, became the first team with a double-digit seed to advance to the Final Four.

Major rule changes

Beginning in 1985–86, the following rules changes were implemented:

• The 45-second shot clock was introduced.
• With the shot clock's introduction, the so-called "lack of action" count (when the offense fails to attempt a shot in a five-second timeframe) was abolished.
• If a shooter was fouled intentionally and the shot was missed, the penalty was two shots and possession of the ball out of bounds to the team who was fouled.
• Conferences were permitted to experiment with a three-point field goal, provided the distance was set to at least from the center of the basket.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 20 from the AP Poll during the pre-season.

Conference membership changes

NOTES: The Big South Conference was founded in 1983, but its members played as independents until this season. Tulane discontinued its men's basketball program after the 1984–85 season in response to a point shaving scandal involving four of its players.

Regular season

Conferences

Conference winners and tournaments

Conference standings

Division I independents

A total of 17 college teams played as Division I independents. Among them, Notre Dame (23–6) had both the best winning percentage (.793) and the most wins.

Informal championships

Saint Joseph's and Temple both finished with 3–1 records in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.

Statistical leaders

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Final Four - Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas

National Invitation tournament

NIT Semifinals and Finals

Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

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Major player of the year awards

• Wooden Award: Walter Berry, St. John's
• Naismith Award: Johnny Dawkins, Duke
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
• UPI Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
• NABC Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's
• Oscar Robertson Trophy (USBWA): Walter Berry, St. John's
• Adolph Rupp Trophy: Walter Berry, St. John's
• Sporting News Player of the Year: Walter Berry, St. John's

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Kentucky
• UPI Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
• Henry Iba Award (USBWA): Dick Versace, Bradley
• NABC Coach of the Year: Eddie Sutton, Kentucky
• CBS/Chevrolet Coach of the Year: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
• Sporting News Coach of the Year: Denny Crum, Louisville

Other major awards

• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (Best player under 6'0): Jim Les, Bradley
• Robert V. Geasey Trophy (Top player in Philadelphia Big 5): Harold Pressley, Villanova
• NIT/Haggerty Award (Top player in New York City metro area): Walter Berry, St. John's

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.

References