# 1985–86 Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans men's basketball team

The 1985–86 Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Arkansas at Little Rock during the 1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Trojans, led by head coach Mike Newell, played their home games at Barton Coliseum and were members of the Trans America Athletic Conference. They finished the season with a record of 23–11, 12–2 in TAAC play. They won the 1986 TAAC men's basketball tournament to earn an automatic bid in the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. After knocking off No. 3 seed Notre Dame in the opening round, the Trojans lost to NC State, 80–66 in 2OT, in the round of 32.
With the NCAA Tournament's expansion to 64 teams the year prior, Arkansas–Little Rock joined Cleveland State as the first No. 14 seeds to defeat a No. 3 seed. Cleveland State followed their opening round victory with another to become the first No. 14 seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 24, 1985* | | vs. Iowa | L 99–108 | 0–1 | Neal S. Blaisdell Center Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Dec 4, 1985* | | Middle Tennessee | W 72–70 | 1–1 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Dec 13, 1985* | | vs. George Mason | W 70–67 | 2–1 | Henderson Center Huntington, West Virginia |
| Dec 14, 1985* | | at Marshall | L 76–79 | 2–2 | Henderson Center Huntington, West Virginia |
| Dec 18, 1985* | | Southeastern Louisiana | L 62–69 | 2–3 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Dec 23, 1985* | | at Providence | L 80–104 | 2–4 | Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Dec 28, 1985* | | UTSA | W 87–67 | 3–4 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Dec 30, 1985* | | at Northwestern State | L 61–68 | 3–5 | Prather Coliseum Natchitoches, Louisiana |
| Jan 3, 1986* | | vs. Southeastern Louisiana Sooner Invitational | L 64–66 | 3–6 | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma |
| Jan 4, 1986* | | vs. Austin Peay Sooner Invitational | L 67–75 | 3–7 | Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Oklahoma |
| Jan 6, 1986 | | Hardin-Simmons | L 56–61 | 3–8 (0–1) | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Feb 24, 1986 | | Georgia State | W 86–65 | 18–9 (12–2) | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| TAAC tournament ||||||
| Mar 1, 1986* | (1) | (8) Georgia State Quarterfinals | W 115–82 | 19–9 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Mar 2, 1986* | (1) | (5) Mercer Semifinals | W 81–66 | 20–9 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Mar 3, 1986* | (1) | (6) Centenary Championship game | W 85–63 | 21–9 | Barton Coliseum Little Rock, Arkansas |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 14, 1986* | (14 MW) | vs. (3 MW) No. 10 Notre Dame First Round | W 90–83 | 22–9 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Mar 16, 1986* | (14 MW) | vs. (6 MW) NC State Second Round | L 66–80 $^{2OT}$ | 22–10 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||

## Awards and honors

* Myron Jackson – TAAC Player of the Year
* Mike Newell – TAAC Coach of the Year